Boundaries
by Jetstream Girge
Summary: Conflict is born when no one wishes to understand one another. This is especially true when the parties' cultures and race differ. They meet as enemies, but circumstances bring them closer than any would dare. Watch them as they break the boundaries of the known world. A lot of credit goes to He-Jay for being the inspiration and willing to share ideas for this fan fiction.
1. Prologue 1

**Hello everyone! My name is Jetstream Girge, and thank you for taking time out of your day to read this fan fiction. Not only am I new to this site, this is also my very first attempt at a fan fiction of any kind. So I apologize if I step on any toes here. This is an Elsword Rena x Raven fan fiction with other pairings, though I have changed the setting as well as altering the backgrounds of the characters. This idea came to me after I had read "Please Smile" by He-Jay. I was also watching the trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5, a game whose plot will explore the conflicts that arise from the differences in culture, language and race, apparently according to Kojima. So I hope you enjoy "Boundaries!" I do not own Elsword or any of its subsidiaries.**

* * *

The wind in the trees, the light of the sun filtered by the canopy of the forest, the smell of the crisp, morning air, all of it was peaceful. Peaceful enough that one would want to –

"Hobbs! Don't let your mind wander now. We still have a mission to accomplish. Keep your eyes and ears open." Lars warned, promptly pulling Hobbs back into reality. The rest of his squad stifled their laughter into barely perceivable snickers at their comrade's misfortune of earning his captain's scolding.

"Yes sir, sorry sir." Hobbs tried to sound as professional as possible. Fortunately, it was convincing enough for Lars, the squad captain, to nod in approval and not pursue to continue berating his underling.

The squad of eight men, mostly simple foot soldiers, was traveling along a rather weather-worn road that winded though one of the many forests that bordered Ruben. Though they were still within their own territory, the squad was on alert, or at least, they were supposed to be on alert. They were at war after all.

"Did you hear? Apparently _they_ have been hitting convoys left and right." One of men, Sam, spat out nervously as he looked from tree to tree in rapid succession.

"Come on. Everyone, including the enemy, knows that this route is used for nothing more than to move medical supplies. They are more worried about our weapon routes." One of the other men, Jace, in an effort to ease his comrade's nerves, chimed in. "But they already hit this route a couple of times already, we should request for reinforcements from Elder or something." Sam retorted, still scanning the trees as though they would start moving at any moment. The squad nervously shifted on their feet before continuing their march through the forest.

Two of the men were pulling hand carts ladled with a variety of sizes of crates. Each carried enough medical supplies to last one of their field hospitals for weeks. Though not as high a priority as weapons to kill their enemies with was, they were still an essential cog in the war machine. If their soldiers were injured and could not be treated, then they would not last long against their enemy.

That's right, their enemy, the…

* * *

The air was flowing wonderfully through the trees; it almost made her want to take a nice, long nap in the embrace of the tree's branches. However, she had a job to do, so she pushed the comforting thoughts that accompanied the wind to a distant corner of her mind and focused on the movement on the road.

The convoy had finally come into view. She focused on the crates that the soldiers were hauling. Apparently they contained medical supplies and the like for the enemy forces fighting on the front line. Though she thought that her and her squad's time was better spent raiding the weapon convoys in Velder, not the medical supply routes out in boondocks of Ruben, it was not her call to make. Her superiors wanted to hit the enemy psychologically, and so they were attacking as many of the routes as possible. She shook her head to clear the unnecessary thoughts from her mind when a whisper reached her ears from the neighboring tree to her right.

"Leader, I see the convoy. Looks like seven, no, eight foot soldiers armed with spears and swords. Lightly armored too, except for the captain, he seems to have something heavier." A green cloaked figure amongst the branches of the tree spoke so quietly not even the birds in the leaves were stirred.

"The heavier armor still does not protect their necks, so it makes no difference what their captain wears. Get ready." She responded with an icy steel voice.

At her prompt reply six other shadows amongst the branches stirred. They all looked in the same direction, the convoy, with a singular purpose. In a flash, they leaped from branch to branch towards the squad of enemies, closing the distance.

The next instant it was over…

* * *

"One, two… Eight. I count eight bodies Leader. That should be all of them." The leader in question did not even need to see his face to tell that Radimir was smirking.

"And you can confirm that they are dead?" She requested confirmation to at least rein his emotions in.

"... Yes, they are not breathing nor are their hearts beating. They are dead." Radimir confirmed with a sullen voice.

"Haaaaa." The leader let out a deep sigh, as if releasing all the tension that surrounded her. "Good, then that means we are finally done for today." She looked at the bodies of the perished men with melancholy eyes. "_Mian haeyo_." She muttered under her breath to the men that they had killed.

"Does this mean we can return home, now?" One of her other subordinates, Lysha asked with a hint of anticipation in her voice.

"Unfortunately, not yet. The Elders want us to continue to disrupt routes until the enemy retaliates. I understand though, I really want to get out of here, too." The Leader responded in a disappointed voice. "Although…" She thought for a moment, "We can say that they sent in a response squad and –"

"Leader, please tell me you are not thinking of abandoning the mission just so you can go home and enjoy your candied El fruit." Rylen, another one of her comrades, cut in with a tone of amusement.

"Wha! No, of course not! Why would I ever think about those tasty – I mean abandoning the mission!?" Their Leader immediately, albeit clumsily, tried to deny the playful accusation. With that, the tension in the atmosphere was completely gone as they all laughed and patted each other on the backs.

"But we will be going home soon, regardless of the enemy response. Until then everyone, stay sharp." She happily announced. The squad joyfully cheered before bowing slightly and placing their gloved right hands over their hearts, a salute.

"_Al gess seub ni da_, Grand Archer Rena." They all said at once. At that a gentle wind blew through the trees, blowing off her hood revealing a pair of pointed elven ears.

* * *

The continent of Elrios had already undergone great change, with the incident of the Harmony Festival and the disappearance of the Lady of El, the land had seen a war between the nasods, a sentient mechanical race, and their creators the humans, that ultimately ended with the human's victory. However, immediately following the conclusion of that conflict, demons began to invade the land and threatened the very existence of El, the source of life on Elrios. The humans and remaining nasods that inhabited the continent were hard pressed to protect the shards of El that they possessed, but they had no heroes or the like to help lead the assault on the demons. Then they found an unexpected ally, the elves. The elven race did not live on Elrios per se, but rather a mirror image of the continent. This land was called Hom, the homeland of the elves.

Despite being on a different plane of existence than Elrios, life in Hom was heavily dependent on El just like its mirror image. The power that the El provided to Elrios was mimicked in Hom. So when the demons of Elrios began taking the El to their own realm, the elves began to notice a distinct change in their home. It was the beginning of a calamity for them. So they broke their self-isolation from the human realm and offered the humans and nasods their assistance to protect the El. Thus, an alliance was born between the two, or rather three, races. Together they drove away the demonic armies and sealed the gateways from the demon world for good. It was to be a new era of peace and stability to both planes, however strife had stained Elrios and it had infected the leaders of both the elves and the humans.

Negotiations on the possession of the remaining El shards quickly broke down, but no blows were thrown. Until the day that war was declared by both sides simultaneously. The nasods could not survive without direct access to El, so they allied with the humans who promised to help rebuild their race. To this day, no one knows who struck first, each side blamed the other. And after decades of fighting over the El shards, those who were fighting were no longer aware of why they fought.

They knew only one thing, the humans were the enemies or the elves were the enemies. For them, it was simply blind hate, borne from the misunderstandings and the barriers of race.

* * *

Velder, the headquarters of the human forces and home to the Velder Red Knights was, in a sense, a city turned fortress. The palace was not only home to the Velder royalty, but was also the command center for the human military. The Hope Bridge was reinforced with several steel barricades and numerous cannons. And the Southern Gate was closely monitored for any chance of infiltration and guarded around the clock. The Red Knights constantly patrolled the streets of Residential Area 3 and the Commercial Area. Yet, despite the heavy military presence, the residents of Velder would go about their lives as normal.

However, the military leaders were more or less pulling their hair out over recent events. In the Velder royal palace, voices of irritation echoed through the halls.

"How many times does this make it this month!? The elves have intercepted yet another convoy off the border of Ruben and we still have not responded to these attacks! Why have we not sent a response squad yet!?" A man with ash grey hair, garbed in the uniform of the Red Knights, slammed his hands down on the map laid out on the great table.

"Lowe, contain yourself. We understand that you are concerned about your home, but we cannot commit forces to hunting down a small squad of elven raiders all the way out near the edge of our borders when they are already raiding our weapon and armor routes closer to Velder. We cannot even confirm if the raiders in question are even a large enough force to warrant the use of a division." A woman dressed in light blue armor and a halberd slung over her back, interjected flatly as she pushed her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose and ruffled her short sky blue hair.

"Vanessa, though Lowe is most likely concerned for his home, we cannot deny that these attacks are having an impact on our forces. If this keeps up we will likely start running out of medical supplies in the coming weeks. This is not even considering the psychological effect it is having on our troops. Lowe's concern is not necessarily misplaced." A tanned skinned man garbed in the green uniform of the Feita Royal Guard, with a great sword on his back raised his hand to ensure that voice was heard.

"I agree with Lowe, we need to respond. Although, Lento, do you have an idea on how we will respond? Vanessa does have a point. Our forces are stretched rather thin responding to the other raids on the closer routes." This time a short, yet heavily armored young woman with violet hair voiced her concerns to the man who had just spoken.

"Hmm…" Lento thought for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization.

"Perhaps we could send _him_. Those routes also affect him, as he needs the medicine that those convoys carry. I mean, we can manufacture it here but not in the quantities that he needs, not to mention the nasod cores that can be manufactured in Elder are being delayed in their delivery here because of these raids. He is a valuable asset that we can utilize."

At his suggestion, the rest of the military council stared at him as though he had arrow sticking out of his head in silence. The period of quiet was finally broken by a slightly hesitant but commanding voice.

"That… is an idea. He is not actively involved in any major military operations now, so he should be able to handle it. And we would not have to commit any of our regular forces to smoke out the raiders. We could have him eliminate the raiders then link up with the next convoy and escort it to Velder. Does anyone have any objections?" A man at the head of the table motioned with his hands to the people present to voice any of their concerns. There were none. Taking their silence as a negative answer, he proceeded to finalize the decision.

"Then are we all in agreement?"

"Yes."

"I see no other options."

"Yes sir."

"Affirmative."

"Alright then. Penensio, can I entrust you to inform him of his new mission?" The man at the head of the table looked toward yet another male as he spoke. Older than Lowe by the looks of it; he was covered from his broad chest to his toes in heavy armor, with a red cape adorned with the emblem of the Red Knights. He was Penensio, the Chief of the Red Knights.

"Yes sir, I will go inform him immediately." The man called Penensio, who possessed a tan complexion, medium length dark brown hair and narrow golden eyes, stood straight and placed his right fist over his heart while positioning his left arm behind his back, saluting his superior.

"Hang on. I am coming with you." The short, armored young woman leaped up and began walking briskly to Penensio's side.

"Noah, this will not take long. I will return – "

"Sorry, but as a member of the Velder Imperial Guard, I cannot allow the Chief of the Red Knights wander around without an escort." Penensio began to voice an objection, but Noah promptly cut him off. "More like you want an excuse to get away from your work…" Vanessa's eyes narrowed as she whispered to herself. Penensio sighed in defeat. "Very well, though I do not think he will be a problem, but thank you, I would enjoy being in your company." He lightly smiled at the young woman.

"Well then, we are off, Supreme Commander Alex!" Noah waved childishly at the man at the head of the table. He waved back with an almost vulpine smile as his silver braided hair swayed behind his head.

"I am counting on you two."

* * *

**Whew, ok well that was the first chapter of what will be "Boundries." I originally had this chapter much longer and introducing more characters, but I felt that it may be too long. The remaining text from that cut is in my hard drive now as chapter 2, but before I upload it I would like to know what you all as readers think about this chapter in terms of length. I can edit it and include the rest of the content if you think I can squeeze more into here. I also added the "Elven" language in this update, but it is actually rough Korean translations for "I am sorry" and "Understood." A big thank you goes out to Lingerer who helped find the PROPER terms for me to actually use. Also, "Hom" is the Korean pronunciation of "home." Thank you to Lingerer for pointing that out! I got the idea for making Korean the "Elven" language from He-Jay, who implemented that in "Please Smile," so consider that my disclaimer. So please Read and Review, and if you would like to be a Beta-Reader for this story, PM me. I would very much like a peer or two proofreading these chapters before I post them to ensure I am putting up quality work. Thank you everyone!**


	2. Prologue 2

**Hello again readers! I decided to just post this content as a new chapter, as this was originally part of chapter one. This chapter introduces more of the characters and the other half of the Rena x Raven pairing. I originally had the Epic NPC characters here to also have pairings, but it seemed like it would be better for them to have a more friendly and professional relationship. Maybe I will develop those pairings later, but for now I will not build those relationships. Also, take a listen to Donna Burke's "Sins of the Father," be sure to find the clean version and pay attention to the lyrics. That music exemplifies the conflict in the plot. Now enjoy Chapter 2 of "Boundaries!"**

* * *

Penensio and Noah walked through the palace gate and crossed Hope Bridge, finally made it to Residential Area 3 in a matter of minutes. They looked to be a rather unlikely pair, with Noah's short stature and childish face against Penensio's tall and adult appearance making a very interesting contrast. Yet, none of the civilians stared at the two, mainly because they knew who they were. However, as they strode through the streets, they were eventually stopped by loud and young voice.

"Ah. Hey, it's Penensio and Noah. Hey! Over her – OW! What was that for sis!?"

"That is for not showing the proper respect to your superiors, LIEUTENANT. And that is CAPTAIN to you."

Penensio and Noah nervously smiled as they heard this playful banter. They both turned in the direction of the two new voices to see a young man and woman clad in the red standard of the Red Knights. However, the young man, or boy rather, was crouching down on the ground, holding his hands to his head of bright red hair. Meanwhile, the woman stood above him with narrowed eyes as red as her loose hair as she unclenched her fist. Truth is, they were brother and sister and it was pretty obvious who the eldest sibling was.

"Okay okay, I get it si – I mean captain." The boy started calling out his sister, but quickly reformed his words as she balled her hand into another fist.

"At ease; Elsword, Elesis, it is good to see you both." Penensio addressed them casually as he and Noah, who was trying to stifle her laughter at the one-sided sibling conflict, approached the two. Elsword and Elesis were flanked by a group of about ten men and women, also in Red Knight uniforms. This was Red Knight Squad Four. They were a well renowned group, even among the elite of the Red Knights. And they were led by none other than Grand Master Elesis Sieghart, The Crimson Storm, and Lord Knight Elsword Sieghart, The Knight of Passion. Together, those two alone could equal several squads of Red Knights just because of their swordsmanship.

As they were about to continue their conversation another voice pierced through myriad of sounds of the community.

"Noah! Wait up!" A young girl with purple hair and eyes floated down from a nearby balcony to where the group was standing. It was Aisha, Noah's student in magic, and nearly her equal in terms of magic power. She was garbed in the outfit of a student of magic, more accurately an Elemental Master. She gently landed amongst the group, who all stood somewhat stunned.

"Aisha… you know that we could see it right?" Noah looked at her student with a jaded expression.

"Huh?" Aisha tilted her head in confusion until…

"Teddy bear…" Elsword said what everyone else was thinking. He would always speak his mind, which could sometimes be an asset in many situations. Not this one…

"PERVERT!" In an instant, Aisha teleported to where Elsword was standing dumbfounded, drool coming from the corner of his mouth and whacked him upside the head with a book that she pulled out from El knows where. What's worse is that she continued to beat him with said book.

"HEY! Stop hitting me! Why am I always the one who gets hit?! It's not my fault that you wear a skirt!" Elsword protected his head of red hair from the relentless book assault with his hands.

"It's your fault for looking! How dare you peep at a lady's underwear, ElMoron!" Aisha screamed as she continued her attack.

"Why you…" Elsword started reaching for the sword on his back when…

"That. Is. ENOUGH!" A great slab of metal came down at godly speeds and struck the heads of the arguing parties. Elesis had just drawn her great sword, and brought down the flat of the massive weapon on top of them. It was as if they had been struck by lightning; Aisha and Elsword both keeled over, temporarily unconscious from the sudden onslaught. However, there is vigor in youth, as they both recovered in seconds and began to massage the own heads.

"Why me…" Elsword whined as he attempted to rub away the lump on his head.

"It is entirely your fault, ElMoron…" Aisha mumbled as she mirrored his actions. After witnessing the scene that would not be out of place in a traveling comic show, Noah finally found a moment to speak.

"So Aisha, what is it you called out to me for?"

"Oh, right! I have the results of the magic experiment I performed. With these results, we could harness the power El through the elements, though that was already proven. But now we can apply it to supply power and heat to residential areas! It does not need to have to be a combat application! What's best about it is that you do not need a mage to keep the magic active except at the preliminary phase, it is completely self-perpetuating!" Aisha excitedly explained her original intent to Noah.

"Aisha…" Noah stared at the young, purple haired girl with wide, blank eyes. "You. Are. A GENIUS!" She pulled Aisha into a vice-like armored embrace. "You really do deserve the title The Magic Prodigy!" She hugged Aisha even tighter, and a faint cracking sound could be heard coming from the now blue faced girl being embraced.

"Noah… can't… breath." Aisha gasped each word as if they would be the last she would speak on Elrios.

"Noah, we still have an assignment to finish. Let's get back to it now. You can fawn over your student later. Though it was good to see everyone here, it has been a while since we last spoke with any of you." Penensio placed a hand on Noah's steel covered shoulder as he presented a small smile to the rest of the group.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Almost forgot about that." Noah's eyes, which had been closed tightly in glee, snapped open and she let out a nervous laugh, finally releasing her herculean grab on Aisha. Now free from her teacher's good-natured death grasp, Aisha took several gulps of air before turning to Penensio.

"Assignment? What assignment do you two have in the capital?" Aisha's eyes gave off a curious glint as she probed for more information.

"We have a mission request for an asset in this residential area. A supply route out near Ruben has been taking several hits lately; we want the asset to eliminate the raiders responsible." Penensio answered the young mage's question as vaguely as he could.

"Wait, Ruben? There are raiders near Ruben? Why hasn't anyone told me about that!?" Elsword started to become furious at the news. "My home… what if they attack it?" His voice and eyes filled with panic.

"Elsword…" Aisha looked at him with sad eyes, perhaps feeling sympathetic to his inner turmoil.

"The elves have not attacked locations where there are civilians, yet, Lieutenant. They have no reason to start now if they have not done so already. And don't forget that it is my home, too. But they will be fine, Squad Nine is stationed there." Elesis did a pretty good job keeping her calm despite the trouble that was happening so close to her home and calmed her brother with sound logic. Elsword did not say a word in response, only nodding his head in understanding. Elesis then turned to Noah and Penensio, her long, loose crimson hair fluttering with the motion.

"Well then, Penensio, Noah, if you are going to meet who I think you are, he should be out in the garden of his residence. We saw him there when we were patrolling the upper levels. He is probably still there. Now, we must return to our patrol." The red haired female knight snapped off a perfect salute before motioning to her squad with a wave of her hand. They quickly snapped off their own salutes, Elsword included, and proceeded to march down the street.

"I should probably be off, too. We will talk more later today on the results, right Noah?" Aisha, now back to her normal self, asked her mentor with a slight hop in her step.

"Yes, of course! We will talk after me and Penensio finish our current assignment. Meet me at the Sweet Phoru Shop. We can discuss the results and celebrate your achievement with some sweets! It will be my treat." The armored mage proclaimed while sticking her index finger and nose into the air. _Why is she doing that?_ Penensio asked himself, but decided to not pursue that train of thought. Aisha's purple eyes widened in surprise and excitement as she skipped away, singing the names of the snacks that she was planning on getting later that day.

"Now then, let's get this over with." Penensio sighed as he and his partner continued their short trip down the block.

* * *

Finally, the two soldiers made it to their destination. The building was more like a large house as opposed to a small mansion. Its architecture was very simple, following the standard building codes of Velder: an overall square-shaped two story structure with a simple red roof. If not for the fact that there no other structures in its immediate vicinity, one would likely lose it in the forest of residences in the area.

Noah looked up to Penensio with a nervous look and he took that as his cue to knock. He rapped the door firmly and could hear the sound echo through the halls inside.

"Hello? It is Penensio and Noah. Military command has a mission for you." He called out. There was no answer. Remembering what Elesis had said earlier he then announced, "We are coming in." He pushed on the polished steel handle and opened the door. _Yeah, he is definitely still here if he left the door unlocked._ Penensio's thoughts quickly ran through his mind.

The first thing the pair noticed when they entered was the smell. It was the smell of incense. The calming aroma filled the halls, bringing images of a flowing stream in the spring forest after a light shower to mind. The walls were completely bare as the man and woman made their way to the back of the house, where the garden was supposed to be. On their way there, they passed by the living room which, just like the rest of the interior, was plain. There was only a single sofa and coffee table in the middle of the room and a tall lamp, powered by tiny fire El shards, in the corner. However, there was a single framed photo on the mantle over the fireplace. It was very small, but one could see it was a picture of two people, a man and a woman. They were both smiling and holding each other by the waist. The woman was dressed in a simple white and green summer dress while the man wore the uniform of a mercenary company, but the glare from the sunlight hid their faces. Then the two visitors noticed that the back door to the garden was left open, so they walked over the threshold back outside.

The garden was more like a miniature landscape. A large pond of clear blue water bordered with white stones was fed by a small water cascade, likely taking the water from the water system of Velder, but it drained back out in the pond. Stone lanterns dotted the space and several trees shaded the open area. Most breathtaking though, was the tree on a tiny island in the pond. The tree had pink flowers blooming on its branches instead of green leaves, and each time a breeze blew through the garden some of the petals would come off the branches and dance in the wind until they met the water, dotting the surface of the pond with pink.

The sound of the flowing water was occasionally interrupted by a regular clacking sound. The sound came from a peculiar device made of a piece of bamboo. It looked like a segmented tube with one end closed and the other opened in a pointed lip. The pipe was attached to some kind of hinge and a trickle of water was fed into the open end of the tube. After a period of time passed the tube would fill with water and tip over, dumping the water into the pond, then making a clacking sound as the closed end landed on the stone. The sound was almost hypnotic. The guests then turned their attention to the reason they came to this place.

Sitting cross-legged and hands resting on his knees next to the device was a man. He was wearing a loose-fitting, white gi and his feet were bare. His hair was jet black and standing up wildly in many directions. He seemed to be meditating. Noah then decided to break the monotony of sounds with her voice.

"Oh, we are sorry for the interruption, we can give you some more time if you-"

"No, it's fine. I am actually glad you both came when you did. I was almost about to fall asleep sitting here." The man chuckled slightly as he stood up and turned to face his guests.

His face and well-built body were covered in scars, he had a strange white streak at the front of his hair and his eyes were a fierce golden color. He was probably a little bit taller than Penensio, but it was difficult to tell. However, they could not see his left arm, as it seemed that the man had customized his gi so that the left sleeve was wider and longer than the right sleeve. His expression, despite the seemingly good humor from before, was flat.

"So, what can I do for you, Penensio, Noah? I am guessing you have a mission for me?" The man looked each of them in the eye as he addressed them.

"Yes, we do. A supply route that ferries medical supplies has been getting a lot of heat lately from elven raiders up in the forests near Ruben. However, we are also dealing with raids and skirmishes near the border of the capital as well, so we do not have the men to send over there to repress them." Penensio explained the situation to the man. After slightly bowing his head and bringing his right hand to his chin in a thinking gesture, the black haired man then muttered, "So that is why I have been getting less of the medicine…"

"Yes that is why, but not only that, we are looking at a shortage of medical supplies for our troops if this keeps up." Noah added in a serious tone. "So we need you to neutralize the elves hiding out in Ruben Forest.

"Ruben… that is quite a ways from here. It will likely take me at least a day to reach there using the Cobo Express. I am assuming that after I take care of the elves, you want me to escort the next convoy, right? When does the next convoy leave from Ruben?" The black haired man inquired to the pair.

"They should be leaving in about thirty six hours." Penensio replied quickly, having already assumed that the man would ask that question.

"So, I am going to have to leave immediately, huh? Can I at least have a meal before I leave?" The man's voice was a mix of annoyance and anticipation.

"Of course you should eat before you leave! Do you want me to whip something up real quick for you?" Noah asked as she took out her staff.

"No thank you. I would likely be eating a ball of ice if I let you cook. I already have some leftovers from the other night, so I can just heat that up and I will take some jerky for the road." The man finally showed a hint of a smile as he poked fun at the little armored mage. Noah, now downcast, turned around and started muttering of how no one enjoys her cooking. Penensio, gave a jaded smile to the young woman before turning to the man.

"Thank you, Raven. I know we can count on you. Good luck out there." He snapped of a salute before nudging Noah to do the same. After they saluted to the man called Raven, they excused themselves from his home, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

"Well, looks like I can finally let loose a bit. I hope those elves are ready for what's coming for them." Raven smiled sadistically as he climbed the stairs to his room and began gathering his things and changed into a new set of clothes and a black cloak. After only fifteen minutes of preparation and eating, he was on the Cobo Express to Ruben. As the wagon jostled back and forth on the dirt road, Raven took a small bottle from his pack. Inside were several unassuming pills. He opened the bottle and consumed one before resealing the container and placing it back in the pack. He looked out to the passing scenery before giving a demonic grin.

"Time for the Beast of Velder to cut loose. I will kill them. I will slaughter them all!"

* * *

**And that is Chapter 2! ****As a forewarning, this story will be long and I am considering making an alternate ending(s) in which there will be different outcomes at the conclusion as well as some altered events. If you would like to see that, please Review and tell me what you would like to see in regards to that. I hope for your continued support of this story, thank you for reading!**


	3. First Meeting

**Hello again, readers! My Biochemistry exam got pushed back, so I was able to finish this chapter sooner than I had expected. I would like to specially thank He-Jay for proof-reading this chapter as my Beta-Reader, as their input help turn this rock into a polished gem, so to speak. Take a listen to "Enchanted Arms Escape Battle" as you read the section with the *. I think it captures the sense of desperation well in that sequence. Now enjoy chapter 3 of "Boundaries!"**

* * *

"Haaaaaaa… So bored…" Radimir exhaled loudly as he gazed through the canopy of Ruben Forest. He was assigned to the mid-day lookout shift on the south end of the forest, and frankly there was nothing happening. There was no worse way to dull the senses than to be idle in an environment lacking in activity.

Radimir's eyes felt heavy as he looked from tree to tree, looking for anything to capture his attention, even for just a moment to keep him from falling prey to premature slumber. His bow rested on the branch next to him as he reclined against the trunk.

Suddenly his long, pointed ears, which were drooping in response to his lethargic mood, perked up in response to movement in the brush twenty meters from from his position. Radimir fumbled with his bow as he quickly stood up on the branch and brought it to the ready. He concentrated his magic into the center of his bow, creating an arrow composed of wind ready to pierce his target. His eyes, before dilated and unfocused, were now sharp and intense, focused on the rustling in the brush. He was ready for whatever surprise the humans dared to throw his way. He was ready for the… phoru?

Radimir blinked once. Twice, as he tried to confirm what he had just seen. Indeed, it was an adolescent phoru, a type of rodent-like animal that lived in the forests around Ruben. Pretty harmless in most cases, unless they were really hungry, but even then they just threw random blunt objects at you. There was nothing particularly threatening about these creatures. The little critter was wandering around the fifty meter diameter clearing looking for food, which could be anything edible.

Radimir silently cursed to himself as the arrow dissipated into the air and he let his arms go slack in frustration.

"Nothing interesting at all… And I still have another two hours left to go, too." He silently whined to the wind as he began to put his bow back down on the branch.

Then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. The little Phoru from before was now shaking, and shaking violently enough that he could tell despite the distance between them. Was it… scared of something nearby?

No, more like it was terrified.

Suddenly, the animal turned and fled through the brush, stumbling over its own feet.

"What the-" Radimir began loudly thinking to himself as to what spooked the little guy when he felt a chill crawl up his spine. No, that was not a chill, more like he was jolted by lightning as his fight or flight response was triggered by an ominous presence. Something was coming, something terrifying and evil. And it was coming from…

Radimir whipped around to his six o'clock just in time to see a flash of black and red. He knew he should evade but his body was frozen with this feeling of power. Power so overwhelming that it was terrifying. And he witnessed that power first-hand when the flash pierced the area around his clavicle, spraying red blood onto the leaves as it exited near the base of his neck.

He did not even have time to scream, let alone resist. Only a gurgle of air mixed with his blood escaped his throat as his field of vision slowly arced up to the sky and then to the inverted view of the forest behind him.

* * *

"Haaaaaaa… so bored…" Rena was lying on the grass in the middle of the densest part of Ruben forest with her loose, glowing, greenish blonde hair splayed out under her back, staring at the spots of sunlight that filtered through the canopy. She was garbed in the green and white regal outfit of the Grand Archer, adorned with white feathers and she wore a circlet on her head that further solidified her title. Her brilliant spring green eyes displayed utter boredom as she attempted to count the leaves fluttering in the air.

"Leader, come on. We still have a mission to accomplish, right?" Rylen, once again interrupting her wandering thoughts, looked at his superior jadedly.

"I know, Rylen. The mission is to intercept convoys along this route, but no convoys are scheduled to come through, yet. At least, according to the intelligence we have garnered over the past couple of weeks. So why can't we just take a load off for a bit?" Rena pouted back to her subordinate. "We already have our camp set up and ready to tear down at a moment's notice, we have sentries already posted and shifts set up. Our bows have been cleaned and maintained... twice today, and-"

"Okay, I get it. We are already done with our priorities, I understand, but shouldn't we... I don't know... practice our archery or something?" Rylen probed.

"What's stopping you from doing that, then? I thought you were disciplined enough to make those decisions yourself." Rena smirked to the short haired elf as she lifted herself off the ground. Rylen's response got caught in his throat and his long ears pricked up as he tried to retort, but his embarrassment of being talked in a circle got the better of him. Fey, Bestra and Trion all chuckled at their friend's predicament. Then, another elf leapt down from the trees to the north of the camp.

"Lysha, reporting back from sentry duty, Leader." Lysha's yellow hair was kept in a loose bun and out of her face as she saluted the Grand Archer.

"Thank you, Lysha. Now we just need Radimir to return from his post and then we can move the camp." Rena then thought for a moment with her delicate hand on her chin. "Actually, let's start breaking down now. Once Radimir gets back, we can just move to the next location."

"_Al gess seub ni da_." Her team of Sniping Rangers immediately responded with a salute and began to pack away the camp.

There was not much to put away, only the dark green bed rolls, supplies for maintaining their weapons and their green cloaks. In a matter of minutes, all their belongings were rolled up and on their backs, ready to be moved, except for Radimir's pack.

"I got all of his stuff together, so when he comes back he is taking my next shift as payment." Trion sneered.

"Come on, don't be too harsh on him. He is the brother of Erendris after all. He is probably still trying to prove himself." Fey defended the absent member with a slight blush on her cheeks. Rena noticed and smiled to herself.

"Then, Fey, why are you defending him? He is supposed to punctual on shift changes. That is unless you are in-"

"No! Nothing like that… at all…" Fey immediately waved her hands in front of her face, which was red all the way to the tip of her elven ears, cutting off Rena's attempt to goad a reaction out of her.

_Not the reaction I expected, but that was still amusing._ Rena thought to herself while grinning childishly.

But her mood quickly changed when Radimir was still absent for another five minutes.

"He is still not back, yet? What did he do? Fall asleep in the trees?" Trion was always a little too critical of his teammates, but he did have a point. Radimir should have returned at least eight minutes ago. Being in enemy territory, their greatest strategy would be to keep the enemy guessing. Staying in one place for too long could be dangerous. But Rena could not leave without her entire team.

"Everyone, we are going to investigate Radimir's whereabouts. He should be one kilometer south of here. Hopefully, we will run into him on our way there. Trion, carry his pack. As soon as we can confirm Radimir we are moving to the west side of the forest."

"_Al gess seub ni da_." Her squad confirmed her orders. Trion grumbled to himself as he hoisted Radimir's pack onto his back.

"He owes me two shifts now…"

Rena pulled the hood of her cloak over her head as the rest of the squad mimicked her, then they leaped up to the branches and made their way to Radimir's last known position.

* * *

_We did not encounter Radimir, yet. Where is he?_ Rena was now starting to get worried. They had already traveled about nine hundred meters from their last campsite, and Radimir was still nowhere to be seen. He was likely still at his post, or maybe he…

Rena shook her head to clear the negative thoughts running through her mind.

_He will be fine. He is the brother of the head of the Night Savers after all._ She told herself this when Bestra chimed in.

"Hey, where are all the animals? Normally there would be phorus and ruchis running about, but I have not even seen a finch for about one hundred meters."

She was right. It was as if the animals had suddenly disappeared, leaving no trace of them being here.

Finally, the squad reached the clearing where Radimir was supposed to be posted and immediately they all froze.

There was a malevolent aura about the clearing, sending chills up the spines of the elves. Rena scanned the trees for any sign of the source of this feeling, but she saw nothing in the shadows of the trees. It seemed to be coming from everywhere around the clearing as it saturated the very air they breathed.

"What is this.. feeling?" Fey asked in a shaking voice, and then Rylen suddenly pointed to the center of the clearing.

"Look, there is someone there."

Everyone followed his finger and saw that there was indeed someone in the clearing. The figure was lying face down in the middle of the clearing and was surrounded by red grass.

Wait… _red_?

"Everyone, get back to the trees. Stay together. Bows at the ready. I will check it out. Be ready to back me up." Rena swiftly whispered her instructions to the team.

They did not verbally acknowledge the order, but they nodded slightly before backing out of the clearing and taking refuge amongst the trunks of the trees.

Then, Rena took a deep breath before stepping further into the clearing. That evil feeling from the trees continued to pulse around her, but she had to confirm the status of the person on the scarlet grass. She just hoped that it was not who she thought it was.

After getting closer she noticed that the figure was cloaked in a green cape and hood, stained crimson. Now she could smell it. It was blood, and a lot of it.

Now she stood over the body. She quickly scanned her surroundings again, but again she could not identify anything out of the ordinary if she discounted this aura around her. With her elegant bow clutched in her left hand, she bent down and pulled the hood of the figure. Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw the telltale messy medium length blonde hair and the long pointed ears.

It was Radimir, and he was not moving, not even breathing.

He was dead.

Rena, although she was on the verge tears, had to absolutely confirm that this was her subordinate, so she gripped the right side of the body and pulled. Her intention was to see the face of the body so she could confirm its identity, but instead, as she turned the body over, there was a sickening sound of flesh and tissue barely held together coming apart. She successfully overturned the body, but the head remained where it was, and the motion caused the severed head to fall to the side revealing a pain stricken face that she recognized.

Rena instantly felt her stomach turn, and she brought her free hand to her mouth and did her very best to keep the vomit down. And then it happened…

The aura vanished.

No it did not vanish; it became focused on a single point. And then it moved.

Rena's head snapped up to face the source of the aura to see a dark cloaked shadow leap down from the trees towards her squad. She wanted to scream for them to scatter, but the vomit in her throat refused to allow her voice to be heard. The squad noticed the figure rushing towards them, but they were frozen in place in confusion and fear.

The unknown figure landed in their midst with such a force that the ground within four meters of its landing shook and the squad of Sniping Rangers lost their footing.

Fey was closest to the attacker and before she could react something lashed out and grabbed her small neck and lifted her body off the forest floor.

Rena and the rest of the team watched in horror as this… arm, this demonic looking arm held their comrade, their friend in the air and started strangling the life out of her. Fey could do nothing, only tears of fear streamed down her face from her wide terror filled eyes.

"Please…" She forced the words from her constricted throat pleading for mercy. Her answer was a flick of the evil looking arm's wrist and an accompanying snapping sound as her neck was broken like a twig.

Trion was standing alone while Bestra, Lysha and Rylen were in a group. After staring at the scene unfolding in front of them for a couple of seconds, they all finally started to fumble their bows to the ready position. The figure responded by tossing the limp body of their comrade into the midst of the group as the killer vanished from sight.

Trion could only make unintelligible sounds of surprise when suddenly there was the sickening sound of steel piercing flesh. Trion slowly turned his focus on his abdomen, where now an ebony blade had lodged into. He slowly looked up to the face of his assailant and began to mutter a curse when the figure brutally yanked the blade from his stomach, trailing his blood through the air.

Trion fell to the ground, dead, as the rest of the team finally pushed Fey's body off themselves. As they struggled to their feet, the assailant leapt into the air towards the group and landed in between all three of them.

"RUN!" Rena finally forced the vomit down her throat as she screamed to her friends to escape. But…

"CHARGED BOLT!" The attacker summoned a black sphere around themselves that then sent out countless black spikes, like a dark hedgehog, piercing the bodies of Bestra, Lysha and Rylen.

To Rena, time had just slowed down as she watched the spikes retract and the gapping red holes in her friends' bodies spurted red blood. Then they fell to the ground, where they remained unmoving.

Rena just sat there in the clearing next to Radimir's decapitated body, in utter shock. Not because this unknown enemy had just wiped out her team in a matter of moments, but because she just watched her friends die. Her mind was spinning with thoughts of anguish, rage and confusion, but she could not will her body to move.

_It killed them… They are dead… Why…? How…? So much blood… I did nothing… _Rena's mind was a mess and the attacker did not even give her time to sort her thoughts. It started dashing past the border of trees into the clearing. By the time Rena finally started to act on sheer instinct, the figure had already covered fifteen meters with only ten left until it reached her.*****

Quickly jumping to her feet, Rena back flipped a couple of meters where she planted her feet firmly into the ground and let loose a volley of five magic arrows at her opponent. Just before the arrows connected, however, like with Trion, the figure vanished before appearing a few meters in front of its vanish point, and the arrows missed their target.

Now her enemy was only eight meters away from her, so she performed another back flip. This time however, at the peak of her jump, Rena loosed three arrows simultaneously in a vertical fan pattern to halt her opponent's advance. The attacker skidded to a stop before thrusting the evil arm into the ground at its feet with such force that a chunk of earth was dislodged and acted as a make-shift shield, blocking the arrows.

The attacker weaved around the uprooted stone and reached for Rena. It was finally in striking distance.

Despite Rena's state of mind, she willed her legs to move, and using those powerful legs she propelled herself over her attacker, whose demonic arm grasped only air and brushed the trims of her cloak. The sudden motion caused her cloak to come undone as it began to flutter to the ground. Before it even touched the ground, however, Rena concentrated her magic into her next arrow, filling it with the chill of winter.

"FREEZING ARROW!" Rena let loose her frozen arrow at the attacker's back, only five meters away.

But the enemy reacted faster than she anticipated.

"CHARGED BOLT!" Once again, her enemy surrounded itself in the black sphere and spikes, but this time, she heard it. It was the voice of a man.

Then the subzero arrow impacted the sphere freezing it over creating something akin to a snow globe, for a masochist that is, as her cloak finally came to rest on the ground.

Rena stayed at the ready for a couple seconds, watching for any sign of movement. There was none.

She then began to lower her head and bow, when she heard a small cracking sound.

_No way... you mean it is not frozen from that!?_

Rena's head snapped up just as the frozen sphere shattered, sending shards of sharpened ice at her. She instinctively brought her arms to her face to shield her eyes from the fragments, but immediately regretted not retreating a couple steps when she felt a heavy impact on her abdomen. It was the black and red claw, and it had slugged her with great force, explosively forcing the air from her lungs.

Now that it was this close she noticed that there even golden lines running along the length of the arm like veins. Using the force of the blow she leaped into the air and somersaulted backwards, while gathering wind magic into her hands, concentrating it into a sphere. As the figure charged her again, she released the concentrated globe of wind that she gathered.

"HUMMING WIND!" The sudden explosive force propelled the two apart while blowing off the dark cloak of her opponent, but Rena needed the distance and the temporary rest to conceal herself in the trees.

She was fighting a losing battle; she was not in the proper mental state and her enemy already gained momentum through its surprise attack. Though she heard the voice of a man, she could not be sure that she was actually facing a male adversary. But before she could catch her breath, she heard the battle cry from before.

"X-CRASH!" The tree Rena was hiding behind exploded into countless fragments as an X shaped scar appeared on it, and her enemy was positioned perfectly in front of her. The assailant threw another punch with the frightening arm and this time it connected with Rena's jaw. She felt the bones in her mouth scream in response as they tried to stay in one piece. It was miracle nothing broke or was dislocated.

Now she was desperate; if this keeps up she would be killed. _As if I will let you kill me!_ Rena's thoughts shouted through her mind as she used yet another wind bomb, but this one was much smaller, to push away the attacker only a couple of meters. But by the time her target landed on the ground she was already done piling in a great amount of wind magic into a tiny arrow on her bow.

"CRAZY SHOT!" The small arrow traveled only a meter before it began to vigorously expand into a sphere of slashing wind as it continued to close on her target.

Then she noticed something. It looked like something had appeared behind her opponent. It was an odd shaped contraption. It had a gold and black center sphere with several dagger like projections floating around it.

_What the-_

She did not even have time to process what it was for, as her opponent rose into the air and gathered orange lights around its heart before releasing it.

"GUARDIAN STRIKE!" The concentrated light surrounding its heart exploded into a large cross shaped bundle of energy and it swallowed her magic sphere... and continued growing towards her position.

"Not good!" Rena attempted to run, but the explosion of power caught her before she could turn around. As the energy exploded around her, it left charring burns over her entire body. The pain was too intense to ignore as she screamed and was flung off her feet.

And then, darkness took her.

* * *

Rena's field of vision was blurry and covered in stars. She was alive. It looked like the explosion from earlier temporarily knocked her out. She blinked her eyes rapidly trying to banish the stars blocking her sight and her optics started refocusing themselves.

The trees in a fifteen meter radius had been completely leveled and were burnt black.

"What kind of power is this?" Rena voiced her thoughts though it hurt to speak.

"It is the power that will wipe you elves out." Suddenly a voice, a man's voice, answered her rhetorical question.

Rena looked in the direction of the voice and saw him. He was tall, with wild jet black hair with a white streak. And his face and the exposed part of his chest were covered in battle scars. The majority of his outfit was black with some white and red lines. He had a large number of belts hanging from the left side of his waist, most of them were unbuckled and his pants were black as well. The right side of his pants had what appeared to be segmented armor and his brown shoes even had some metal plates.

Then she saw his arms. His left arm was entirely mechanical, but at the same time it seemed organic. It gleamed black and red and the fingertips even had blood on them still. His right arm was definitely real, despite the armor that was worn to mimic his left, and it carried a cruel looking ebony blade, and it still had Trion's blood on it.

But most fearsome was his eyes. They were a fiery gold color, and gave off a glint of madness as the man approached her.

She tried to move, only to find out that a tree had collapsed on top of her right arm and its branches covered her legs, immobilizing her. Cursing in her mind she turned her battered face to her enemy.

His face was unsmiling, projecting a feeling of hate she had never felt before. The man scanned her up and down, trying to determine if she could still resist and then stood above her.

Rena felt intense pain as his right foot came down on her free arm, pinning her last usable limb onto the ground. Rena screeched in agony as she felt the bones in her arm crack, then she felt metal on her neck. Her eyes, squeezed shut from the pain, sprang open to find the black blade on her throat.

_This is it, I am going to die._ Rena frightfully thought to herself. _I guess I will not get to enjoy my candied El fruit back at home._

She felt the tears welling in her eyes as her life was about to end. But it never came. The flick of the wrist or extra pressure that would take her life never came. She gazed back up to the man's face.

Now, he was showing a variety of emotions. The hate from before was still there, but there was now confusion and… happiness?

Suddenly, the man's demonic arm shot up to his face, covering half of it, as if trying to suppress something. Despite his inner turmoil, the man did not move the blade a millimeter from where it was on her neck.

After a couple of tense moments, the man glared down at her and he spoke, spitting out the words.

"Remember this, _elf_. I let you live today so that you may tell your brethren that the humans will win this war. We will beat you back to your home, and then we will find it and burn it to the ground. Tell them that. That is assuming you can dig yourself out." The man openly mocked her with a facial expression that was a mix of a grimace and maddening grin.

Then he released her arm from his boot and took the blade from her throat. She could feel the blood from the tiny cut left there trickle down. And then he turned around and left without another word.

* * *

Raven's mind was absolute chaos.

_Why!? Why is she so similar!? Why didn't I just kill her and be done with it!?_

His head started to hurt and a creeping red hue was present in the corner of his vision. His left arm began to twitch and ache.

He quickly took out the pill bottle from before and shakily popped another pill. Almost instantly, his mind began to clear and the pain and twitching subsided, and he started thinking of more important matters.

"Well, that should take care of the raider problem here. Guess I will go link up with the convoy." He checked the position of Solace. "Alright, they should be leaving now. I should be able to meet them on the road."

He cast one last glance in the direction he came from before strolling off to the road.

* * *

Rena had finally dug herself out from under the tree and, to her relief, found that besides her left arm having been fractured, she had no other substantial injuries. She was covered in bruises and cuts as well as first degree burns in several places on her body and face, but those could be healed with magic and time. Her uniform was in surprisingly good shape despite the beating she took, only missing a few patches here and there with the edges of her dress singed. Her bow was also still in one piece so that was another plus.

She stopped her thoughts there. _Why am I thinking all this? It still does not change that they are all dead. Radimir. Lysha. Trion. Bestra. Rylen. Fey. They are all dead because I made a bad call. We should have left the moment we made it to the clearing. We could have retrieved Radimir's body later, but… but..._

The tears and sobs finally were set loose, the tears cascading down her dirty, delicate face before dropping to the ground as she stumbled across the ruined clearing to collect the corpses of her friends.

* * *

**And that is that! I suppose I should also respond to the reviews that have posted, too. So here we go!**

**Half-Demon-Cali: Thank you for your kind words! I hope that this chapter does not disappoint you!**

**Zarosguth: Hey, stuff happens. I like to provoke thought in my plots, so I hope you will be satisfied at the conclusion of this story! And you are right, I guess I should loosen up a bit.**

**AishaElementalMaster: Sorry for not responding to your review earlier. But a dinosaur... Maybe we will see that some other time. :3**

**Thank you for reading! I look forward to your reviews!**


	4. Returning Home

**Hello readers, old and new! My exam got delayed so I was able to get this chapter of "Boundaries" finished ahead of schedule. So I hope that this chapter does not disappoint! Enjoy!**

* * *

Rob stood at attention on top of the wall as he scanned the fields for anything suspicious. He was stationed on the North Gate of Velder to keep watch for anything attempting to infiltrate the city. The elves were cunning enemies; they hid in bales of hay and under carts. He and the gate guards even once caught an elf who taped the tips of their ears back to look more human, though they looked more freakish than anything.

He then noticed motion coming from the crest of the hill two hundred meters away. It soon resolved into what appeared to be… no it was a convoy, an allied convoy. The canvalcade had eight… no, nine men in the squad of soldiers. He called down to the garrison of the news and the soldiers all quickly, but efficiently, got into position, ready to receive and inspect the convoy. After the caravan was one hundred meters away, Rob noticed that there was a soldier amongst the others who was clearly different. His jet black hair was sticking up wildly in several directions and had a white streak in it… wait. _I know that man. It is Raven, The Beast of Velder! If he is escorting this convoy, then this must be the medical supplies we were waiting for!_ Rob and the garrison on the North Gate had already been informed of Raven's mission, and had been eagerly awaiting his return.

"The Beast has returned!" Rob roared triumphantly down to his comrades. There was a moment's pause before the garrison broke out in cheers. "Haha, I wonder if he brought back any battle trophies this time!" "He really is amazing… If he wasn't so scary I would propose." Those were a couple of the cries that reached Rob's ears.

Finally, the convoy was within twenty meters of the gate. "Open the gate!" The heavy black steel slabs of metal called doors slowly opened outward with a sophisticated winch system powered by nasod technology. A couple of seconds later, the convoy had crossed the threshold of the wall and were greeted by joyful cheers as the gates slowly closed behind them.

"Raven! You did it! So how many were there? Was it hard or what? Tell us everything!" Sara was still relatively new to the force, but her spunk and determination got her much farther than most of the other men did with their ideals. She had been following Raven's exploits rather closely. To put it simply, she was a fan girl.

"It wasn't difficult at all. Those vermin got what was coming to them. Now if you'll excuse me." Raven coldly brushed her off and continued to walk through the garrison, leaving a stunned Sara behind; his destination, home.

* * *

Raven strolled down the streets of Residential Area 2, which was to the north of Area 3, where his home was. Some of the civilians shot him nervous looks and crowds parted in front of him, isolating him from the rest of the community. He did not mind, though it was more like he was not even paying them any mind. His thoughts had been greatly disturbed by the encounter he had with the elves in Ruben Forest, but over the course of the day and a half it took him and the convoy to get back to the capital he had time to sort the storm of chaos in his head. _That last elf… she was so similar. How do I interpret this? A curse or a blessing - No it can't be a blessing, she is gone forever and there is no going back. If I see that elf again, I will tear her in half!_

He finally began to cross over into Residential Area 3 when he lifted his face to the orange sky.

"Almost night already, huh? They are going to want to debrief me, but I don't feel like talking to those high and mighty officers right now. Maybe I will lay low at a restaurant or something. I will go in for the debriefing tomorrow." He smiled to himself as he made his decision and began looking for a place that had some good steak or the like. Then he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Raven! That is you, right? Oi, Raven!"

Raven chuckled to himself as he turned around and saw a head of spiky red hair bobbing up and down as a young Red Knight ran towards him.

"Elsword, it is good to see you. I am guessing that you have finished your patrol for the day?" Raven greeted the young knight as Elsword came to a halt in front of him.

"Yeah, we finished about an hour ago. Sis and I were giving our reports when we heard that you returned from your mission. We were gonna hit the Banthus Bandit BBQ for grub. Wanna come?" The boy's eyes were shining with excitement.

Truth was that Raven actually helped Elsword train to become a Lord Knight class soldier, a title that was almost as difficult to obtain as the Grand Master. Over the course of the countless training and sparring sessions, the two had developed a sense of camaraderie and something of a big brother and little brother relationship. Whenever Raven would look into the young man's eyes, he could see his youthful self, full of pride for his home and his comrades.

Looking back on those days, he was around Elsword's age when he applied to be a Red Knight, but he failed. So instead he created a –

He stopped his wandering thoughts there as the painful memories connected to those times came back to haunt him.

"Raven, Elrios to Raven! You still there?"

Raven's head snapped up and he realized he must have had quite the depressing expression because Elsword's crimson eyes were now filled with worry.

"I'm fine, just a little… tired, perhaps. But you know what? I will take you up on your offer. I heard that BBBBQ has a new special." Raven grinned as he strode off in the direction of the restaurant.

"Oi! I invited you, so shouldn't you be following me!?" Elsword yelled as he took off after the smug Raven.

* * *

After only five minutes of brisk walking, Raven and Elsword arrived at the Banthus Bandit BBQ, and it was hopping, to say the least. Solace was almost completely hidden behind the horizon and the silver sphere that was Ebalon, the moon, was already shining in the sky. Elsword looked surprised at how packed the restaurant was.

"Wow, I did not think that so many people would be here at this hour. I hope sis got us a table already." The red haired youth was still stunned at the volume of guests as he worked his way up to the hostess. "Hey, is there a Sieghart party in there already?" Elsword called out to her.

"Hmm, Sieghart? Yes, there is. Party of five, right? Follow me." The employee gave a bright smile at the two guys before spinning on her heels and breaking into a quick walk.

"Alright, I knew we could count on sis! Wait, five? I thought it was just going to be me, my sister and you." Elsword cocked his head to the side in confusion, almost being left behind by Raven and the hostess. "Ah! Wait for me!"

Fortunately he was able to keep up with them when they finally reached the table. There sat Elesis and a man with ash grey hair on one side, and a very familiar purple haired girl sitting on the opposite end of the table.

"Ah, what are you doing here, grape head!?" The red eyed youth snapped as he jumped up in surprise.

"Wha!? How dare you call me that, ElMoron! And for your information, your sister invited me! And I have a name you know!" Aisha yelled back at him and leapt out of her chair. The hostess began looking back and forth between the two nervously when Raven put his right hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, they are always like this. They won't be a problem." He reassured her in a calm voice. She nodded, satisfied, and returned to the front of the restaurant. Now that that was settled, Raven pulled out the chair at the head of the rectangular table and sat himself in it.

"Hey, Els, Aisha, how long do you two plan to stand there staring at each other. You look like a quarrelling couple." Elesis snickered behind her hand. Almost immediately the arguing pair blushed and quickly sat down in their seats which were right next to each other. This realization caused their faces to flare up even more and scoot away awkwardly from one another. Elesis, Raven and the guest all laughed at their childish reactions before a waitress walked up to the table with a pad of paper and pen in hand.

"Welcome to Banthus Bandit BBQ! I am Ariel and I will be your host this evening. Can I get everyone something to drink?" Her dirty blonde hair was done in a loose ponytail as she gave off a welcoming smile to the party.

"I will have water, please."

"I will also have water."

"Same."

"I'll take a Tangy Soda."

"Strawberry lemonade, please."

Starting at Raven, the rest of the party ordered their drinks ending with Aisha.

"Thank you, I will be back soon with your drinks!" Ariel did a short polite bow before bouncing off to the kitchen.

"Um, does she have, like, a twin sister or something? I would have sworn I saw someone who looked exactly like her in the Cobo Services office. She even had the same name!" Elsword asked the group.

"You're imagining things, Els." Elesis quickly shot down his inquiry. Yet, no one thought that it was a topic to pursue, so it remained a mystery.

"So what are you doing here, Lowe? Here to debrief me in public?" Raven turned to the guest sitting next to Elesis.

"Not at all. We can do the debriefing tomorrow morning. I am here to thank you for what you did out in Ruben." Lowe grinned while setting his elbows on the table. "It was possible the elven raiders would have attacked Ruben Village, so by you exterminating them, you saved that town. So when I heard you had returned I wanted to thank you, so I tagged along with Elesis and Elsword when they said they wanted to celebrate with you. Though they were unsure if you would have accepted the invitation. Looks like my gamble paid off." Lowe explained his reasoning as Ariel returned with their drinks and began to set them down in front of them.

"It was kind of nice to get out of the house and cut loose. Though…" Raven responded before trailing off as his thoughts wandered to the elf he spared.

"Though?" Lowe narrowed his eyes at Raven's pause.

"No, it's nothing." Raven denied the unease with a wave of his human hand.

"Pardon the interruption, but is everyone ready to order their food?" Ariel, finding a lull in their conversation, beamed.

"Ah, yes. I will take your special, please." Raven quickly opened and closed the menu before handing it to the waitress.

"Oh, good choice! The Smoked Lizardman Tail with Fire Komodo Style BBQ Sauce has been a pretty big hit here!" Ariel exclaimed in delight.

"Really? Then I will take one as well, thank you." Lowe's mouth was watering when he heard the description of the dish and he quickly ordered the same thing.

"I will take the Glitter Style Grilled Meat Platter. And can you have the Herbal Sauce off to the side, please?" Elesis had gathered her menu and Lowe's as she placed her order.

"Of course!" Ariel answered as she took the menus from Elesis's outstretched hand.

"I'll take the biggest rack of Lizardman Ribs you have! Medium-rare." Elsword excitedly handed his menu to the hostess.

"Um, I will have the Hamel Grilled Fish and Merman Platter, please." Aisha thought briefly before closing her menu and giving it to Ariel.

"Alright, thank you, everyone! We will start on that right away!" Ariel showed yet another brilliant smile as she ran into the kitchen. The establishment was rather busy, and the clinking of plates and silverware could be heard everywhere. Numerous conversations were swirling around the group, most of it gossip on the latest nasod developments and future plans.

"So short stack, how did your meeting with the Armored Icicle go?" Elsword goaded Aisha.

"Tch, it went very well. I will spare you the details because you probably would not understand any of it anyways." Aisha retorted with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oi! Are you calling me stupid!?" Elsword slammed his hands on the table, causing the silverware to bounce up and down.

"No, not at all, I am just saying that you're not too bright." Aisha smiled devilishly.

"Oh, okay… Wait that is the same thing as stupid! You are making fun of me!" Elsword started to simmer down before the gears in his head clicked and he flew into a childish rage.

"Ha! I was right, tomato head!" Aisha continued her verbal onslaught when…

"Shut up, washboard!" Elsword wailed at the mage. Aisha's face froze mid laugh as she slowly looked to see where Elsword was staring; her chest, her rather less than impressive chest. Her face flared red with anger and embarrassment as she began to breathe heavily.

"You… You… PERVERT! I am going to teach you how to treat a lady!" Aisha screamed as she sprang up from her seat, summoning her staff.

"Ha! Bring it on!" Elsword copied her motion, unsheathing his sword.

Then the restaurant became deathly quiet.

"Huh?" The bickering duo whipped their heads back forth trying to figure out what everyone was staring at. Before long they figured it out and dejectedly stowed away their weapons and sat back down in uncomfortable silence. The rest of the party laughed at the predicament and the restaurant returned to its active atmosphere.

* * *

The pool of water was crystal clear as Shadmir stared at his reflection. His elven ears had ornate silver decorations along the pointed tips to the base of the appendage. His green and silver winged helmet allowed only the crown of his glowing yellow hair to peek out. His emerald and white robes were adorned with intricate silver lines around its hem. His shining chest plate was decorated with the image of a tree with a stone in its branches. He gripped his gleaming spear as he watched the still pool. He was a Watcher, a position that required him and two others of his kin to regulate traffic going to and from Hom. In this case, it was the flow coming in through the East Pool.

"Shadmir, how are you?" He turned his back to the pool as he faced the owner of the voice, his wife Clione. His face softened as he gazed into her delicate face. "I am well, Clione. What brings you out to the portal?"

"I thought you might have been getting hungry, so I brought you some of your favorite." She smiled brilliantly at her husband as she held out a small package wrapped in large El Tree leaves. Shadmir could feel his mouth start to water as he reached for the package, when he heard a light chime come from behind him. He realized that a comrade of his was trying to reach this side, so after bowing apologetically to Clione, he wheeled around and bent down, touching the surface of the shallow pool with the palm of his hand.

"This is Grand Archer Rena requesting permission to return to Hom." A voice rang in his head after a brief pause. Shadmir's eyes went wide in surprise when he heard the name. He recognized the voice, it was indeed Rena. If she was requesting to come home, she either had completed her mission of disrupting the enemy convoys or she needed an immediate escape. After quickly weighing the possibilities in his mind, he mentally nodded to himself.

"Grand Archer Rena, we will open the portal. Standby." He lifted his hand of the water as he signaled to the other two Watchers.

"Dear, what was that?" Clione inquired worriedly.

"It was Rena. She requested to come back." He answered her quickly as he gathered magic into his hands.

"Oh, then that must mean she was successful in her mission! I will go get Lyf and the others!" She spun on her heels and ran off into the city. Shadmir grinned at his wife's optimism and then focused on the task at hand.

The Watchers knew that Rena's squad consisted of seven elves in total and because Rena had not mentioned any prisoners, they knew exactly how big to make the portal. After a few moments of gathering the magic power necessary for the ritual, the three Watchers directed the magic onto the pool. Slowly a white circle of light began to expand from the center of the water.

"Mother, what is that?" Shadmir heard the voice of a child behind him. He slightly turned his head to see a group of his brethren had gathered to watch the portal. Among them were his wife and another female elf with a young elven boy.

"They are opening a portal to the human realm, Tyr, so a hero of ours can come home." His mother, Lyf, responded to her child's question with enthusiasm.

"Whoa, that is amazing!" Tyr squealed in delight as he tried to get closer. But his mother's grip on his tiny shoulders held him back. "Now now, Tyr, your father is coming home from the human world, give him a little space when he comes out, okay?" Lyf tenderly looked down on her son with loving eyes as her silky golden hair framed her petite face.

Finally, the circle had grown to seven meters in diameter and ceased its expansion. Now, the people gathered could see something appearing on the surface of the light. It was at first a faint outline of a single figure and lumps on the ground. Slowly, the image resolved and eventually one could finally make out the female elven warrior. After Rena and these… lumps were completely resolved, the disk of light under them immediately shrunk inwards and vanished, leaving her and her packages on the surface of the pool.

It was difficult to tell Rena's state with the white light glowing under her, but with it gone, the crowd gasped in surprise. There were red stained bandages all over her body and her left arm was in a sling. It was not the glorious return that the crowd was expecting. Not even Shadmir foresaw this. Finally, after a few silent seconds, Lyf crouched down to her son and whispered something in his ear before briskly walking up to the injured elf with her hands outstretched.

"Rena! My El, what happened to you? You must be taken to the healer immediately!" Lyf reached for Rena in concern, when Rena raised her good hand in a gesture for her to stop.

"I am fine. I already performed first aid so none of these injuries are life threatening." Rena's voice was quiet, much different than the cheerful tone that she had before she left.

"Well, if you are back then that must mean that you really disrupted the humans, right? I hope my husband did not give you too much trouble. Speaking of which, where is Rylen?" Lyf started looking around the pool for her husband. At this, Rena's shoulders shuddered and she lowered her head like a child that was about to be punished.

"Rena? Where is Rylen? Where is my husband?" Lyf asked the elf again, this time panic had started creeping in into her voice. She bent down to look at Rena's face and finally saw that the elven warrior's face was filthy, except for two streaks that extended from her eyes to her chin.

"I am… so… sorry, Lyf…" Rena's voice became almost a whisper as she shifted her focus to one of the packages in the pool.

"Wait, Rena, dear, what are you saying? Where is Rylen!?" Lyf was now hysterical. She was pacing back and forth between Rena and the edge of the pool while scratching her head erratically. Then her gaze landed on the rolls of dark green cloth Rena brought with her. There were six of them. And there were seven elves in total in Rena's team, but Rena was the only one they could see. So if you add these packages to Rena, then there was…

Shadmir realized the situation a moment before Lyf did and he sprang into the pool, restraining Lyf as she made a break for one of the clumps of cloth.

"Let me go, Shadmir! Let me go! I need to see him! I need to see my husband! Let me go you _jabjong_!" Lyf struggled in his grasp but he did not ease up his grip. Rena stood stock still with her face hidden behind her disheveled hair.

"Calm down, Lyf! Please calm yourself!" He pleaded to her before turning to the other two Watchers. "Disperse this crowd and send for the healers, now!"

At his orders, the Watchers began urging everyone to leave. Clione looked at her husband with worry filling her eyes as she started leaving the area around the pool still clutching the package she brought. Tyr was trying to see what got his mother so angry, but a Watcher picked up the child and handed him to Clione before she had left and said something to her, likely asking that she take him home. Clione nodded in understanding as she led the young elf away into the city.

Shadmir was now struggling to get the crazed elf in his grasp out of the pool, but she screamed and flung her body about like a caged animal. "WHY!? Why did you survive!? Why are you still alive!? How is it just you!?" Lyf screeched at Rena who still had not budged from the spot she stood on.

Finally, after several minutes of Shadmir begging Lyf to calm down, she finally did. Lyf walked out of the pool as though she were in a daze before she turned around once more to face Rena, her hair a mess and eyes red from her hysterical episode. Her eyes were filled with sadness and hate as she about faced and left the area.

* * *

Rena now sat on one of the many beds in the healing ward of the Council Chambers. The sheets, the walls, the floor; all of it was a brilliant white. She wore only a simple white halter top like robe with her battered Grand Archer uniform folded up neatly at the foot of the bed. She was surrounded by a group of three silver haired elves and two other yellow haired elven healers who were working feverishly to heal her injuries. Though she insisted that the worst was past her, the group of silver haired elves demanded that her injuries be completely healed. The warm light surrounded Rena as she felt the burns on her body cool and vanish without a trace. It felt good. The healing light, Airelinna, almost made the events that had transpired earlier a very bad dream.

But she knew it was no dream. She could still see Fey's neck being broken, Trion being disemboweled; Bestra, Rylen and Lysha being ran through with the spikes. And she could not banish the sight of Radimir's headless body no matter how hard she tried. And the guilt… the guilt that she could not bring them home… to their families that loved them. It ate away at her heart like a parasite. _WHY!? Why did you survive!? Why are you still alive!? How is it just you!?_ Lyf's words echoed through her head, feeding the remorse. But she could not cry, not in front of these people. Yet, it was so hard not to; if anything she just wanted to hide in a tree and cry herself dry.

Finally, the light faded and the two healers quickly checked over her to make sure that all her injuries were healed.

"That should do it, Rena-yang. The underlying tissue should also be healed, but do not strain yourself for at least a day. You have been through a lot." One of the elven nurses held Rena's face in her hand, pushing her glowing hair behind her pointed ear as she spoke softly to her patient.

"Thank you, Ryla, Lier. You are dismissed." The silver haired elf in the middle of the trio commanded the two healers with a lazy wave of his hand. Ryla, who was the one speaking to Rena, glowered at the male elf for a fraction of a second before nodding and standing up. Then she and Lier left the ward without a single word.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the three elves, garbed in emerald and royal blue robes stared at the Grand Archer and she avoided their gaze. Eventually the silence was broken by the elf to Rena's right. He was Sernon, one of the Elders.

"Grand Archer Rena, no words can tell you how much we grieve for your fallen team, but we need to know what happened. You are amongst the elite of the elite here in Hom. We even let you hand pick your team and allowed that last ranger join your team despite her inexperience." He was talking about Fey.

Fey was the last addition to the team. Rena remembered when she was picking her team; Radimir was the most vocal of his acceptance. He was celebrating his new position in one of the taverns in Hom, bragging that he would be traveling to the human realm under the direction of the Valkyrie of Hom, her title, to disrupt enemy supply lines. Fey must have been hiding some feelings for him, because the day after Radimir announced to practically the whole city of his position, Fey had hunted down Rena and begged the Grand Archer to take her with them as well. She had little real combat experience, but she was a fast learner, so Rena figured she would earn her place in the team before long so she accepted.

And now both of them are dead.

She bit the bottom of her lip as she formed her words before looking back up to the three elves.

"Elders, we were ambushed by an unknown enemy. He was beyond anything I had experienced before and there was no intelligence regarding –"

"We are not asking for excuses, Grand Archer. We are demanding that you tell us what happened. How did your entire team get wiped out? You were in a low priority zone. We were hoping you would have kept up your raids for another week. Your skill is very well known throughout the elven realm, as were the skills of your rangers, yet this occurred." One of the Elders rudely cut her off and was virtually accusing her of not being good enough.

Rena felt her anger flare for a brief moment before she brought it under control. She faced the Elder to her left, who was the one who spoke.

"Elder Gera, like I mentioned before, we were ambushed. This man was powerful; powerful enough that he was able to level the forest in a fifteen meter diameter. Are you suggesting that being jumped on by something that strong and defeating it like it was nothing is something that is to be expected of us?" She raised her elegant eyebrow at the Elder.

"Are you insinuating something, Grand Archer?" Gera looked furious having been talked back to and was about to say something else when a hand raised in front of his face, keeping him in line.

"Elder Gera, I know this affects your future strategies, but do not blame Rena for being incompetent. From what she has said so far, it seems that the humans still have a variety of powerful assets that we were not aware of. Rena, please describe to us what happened in Ruben." The Elder in the middle, Lashir interjected politely.

Rena lowered her head, not wanting to recount those terrible events. However, she could not ignore the demands of the Elders. So she lifted her head to face the three Elders and told them everything that occurred in that clearing; finding Radimir's body and the subsequent slaughter of her friends, then finally her duel with the deadly enemy. However, she did not tell them of the brief dialogue she shared with the man.

The Elders stood still, wide eyed and surprised about her report, before turning their backs to her and began whispering to one another. They must have some kind of magic barrier surrounding them, because even Rena's sensitive ears could not make out their conversation. Then after about two minutes of deliberation, the Elders turned and faced the Grand Archer.

"Grand Archer Rena, we really regret your loss and thank you for bringing your team's bodies home. We will inform the families of what had transpired but we would like you to accompany us as we tell them. I am sure that their families will want your condolences. After we have finished with informing the families, you may go on leave for a couple of days. You have been through much, and we gravely apologize for your loss." The three elves solemnly bowed to her. Rena felt a pang of regret as she remembered the incident at the pool. Would she have to see more of that? She did not want to face the loved ones of her squad mates, but the Elders spoke true. As the leader of the team and the sole survivor, she had a responsibility to inform the families.

She slid of the bed and gracefully landed on her bare feet, then saluted to Elders.

"_Al gess seub ni da_."

* * *

**After a chapter of action and death I had to show what occurs in the aftermath of battle on both sides, and the burden that those who are left behind have to bear. War is not all fun and games. People die, and those people have families and loved ones that wait for them to come home safe every day. To be the one who has to tell those families that the one they are waiting for is never coming back, to be the one who lives while everyone else around you falls... I cannot imagine the pain that they must feel. And those that return home victorious are treated as heroes and are allowed to return to their lives as normal. They are two sides of the same coin. In battle, there is no winning or losing, there is only if you survive or perish. Anyways enough doom and gloom, to my reviewers!**

**Half-Demon-Cali: Your words are very encouraging. I am very glad you are enjoying this fan fiction. I am having a blast writing it! And this is war we are talking about. War is not not happy, and usually ends somewhere dark and depressing for many people.**

**Zarosguth: I really appreciate you pointing out that little error in the text. I saw that after I wrote it and it sounded so weird, but I could not think of any other way to write it until you suggested switching the order of the words! Sometimes the solution is so obvious that you fail to notice it, so thank you for your help there! And thank you for your praise. That was my first shot at doing any action scenes. I am glad it worked out!**

**Well then, that is all I got for now. But look forward to the next installment of "Boundaries!" Read and Review! Oh yeah, and _jabjong_ means "mongrel" in Korean and -yang is the Korean honorary for "miss."**


	5. Those We Know

**Hello readers! Sorry this took so long to upload. This past week has been nothing but exams and reports (Ah, college...). However, I got lucky and class got canceled which also meant I did not have to finish my presentation, so I finished this instead. My priorities are so backwards... Here I would recommend that you listen to Eve's theme "Alone" at the *. At the **, take a listen to Rena's theme "Hope of the Elven." Anyways enjoy the next chapter of "Boundaries." Oh, yeah, if anyone enjoys the Armored Core series, For Answer in particular, there is a little easter egg hiding in this chapter. See if you can find it.**

* * *

Raven's footsteps echoed throughout the grey stone corridor as he recalled the occurrences of the last forty eight hours. After that one night's events, he had bid the Elesis, Lowe and the red faced Elsword and Aisha farewell before making his way home, where he fell asleep on his couch. Then, morning came and he had quickly washed up before reporting to the palace for his debriefing. Penensio and Vanessa were in charge of his debriefing session and he gave them an accurate report on his cleanup of the elven raiders in Ruben Forest. He even mentioned his sparing of the last elf. Vanessa had been clearly upset at the news, but neither she nor Penensio asked for his reasons. After they had finished the session they gave him a new set of orders to report to Dock Twelve in Port Lurensia for a new assignment in two days time.

As he approached the end of the corridor, the salty smell of the sea reached his nostrils and the cry of gulls could be faintly heard. He finally exited the corridor and was greeted by the cold sea breeze and the chatter of sailors. Port Lurensia was perhaps the largest port on the southern part of the continent, mostly due to that it was also the home to the majority of the human naval forces.

There were many ships of a variety of sizes moored at each of the innumerable docks. The ships docked ranged from the small seventy meter corvettes to the larger two hundred meter battle cruisers. The naval fleet was perhaps one of the human's greatest fighting force, with the number of ships numbering over one hundred vessels in total, with more being built on a regular basis. However, the water bound battle groups rarely saw combat. The elves rarely ever attacked by sea. It was not even confirmed if they had a fleet of ships of their own. So the warships were usually utilized as fire support for coastal operations or as glorified transports, shuttling supplies to and from Hamel across the ocean and to other ports across the continent.

Raven gazed across the busy port when he realized something. There was no Dock Twelve, at least not that he knew of. It might have been a new addition to the base that was not there since the last time he was here. As he looked up and down the docks past the rushing sailors he saw something that he did not recognize.

At the center of the port was a huge white structure. The edifice stood a towering one hundred and fifty meters tall, almost peeking over the walls that divided the city from the port, and it was over four hundred meters long and one hundred meters wide. Raven then noticed that the port was actually larger than it was in the past, likely expanded due to this… thing in the middle of the docks. Then he saw two digits embedded in the side of the white construction. One and two; this meant that this must be the mystery Dock Twelve.

Raven strode down the maze of docks and gangways towards the massive structure, before he came to an abrupt stop just in front of it. The reason he stopped was because he saw three people he recognized gathered in front of the entrance to the dock, and one of them was someone he was not particularly fond of. Her elegant silver hair was tied into two loops that hugged sides of her head tightly, complete with a silver tiara, and she wore a regal strapless dress laced with golden lines as well as a pair of matching white boots and wide open detached sleeves. Her golden eyes and flat expression resembled that of a doll. But the most noticeable feature of hers was the cerulean orb embedded in her forehead, framed by her silver bangs, and the two sky-blue marks under her eyes. There were also two drones, one black and one white, hovering on either side of her. She glanced in his direction before turning her head to focus her eyes on him.

"Raven, it is good to see you, again." Her voice chimed like a monotonous bell as she greeted the Reckless Fist. The two drones seemed to happily bounce in the air as they floated towards him in a gesture of greeting.

"Eve, what are you doing here?" Raven seethed in response as he knocked away the two drones, apparently called Moby and Remy. The two little machines skittered back to their mistress, hiding behind her legs. She tilted her head questioningly at his inquiry, still with her bland expression.

"I am here to oversee the final stages of the project that Altera, Hamel and Velder have invested in. I am, after all, the Queen of the Nasods and a Code Empress, so I should see the results of our joint efforts." She responded matter-of-factly. Even though it was not meant to irritate him, Raven still felt his temples pulse in anger to her answer. He quickly drove his hand into his pants pocket and retrieved the container of pills and consumed one of the capsules, and the pulsing stopped. Eve's poker face finally broke when her delicate brows furrowed.

"Are you still taking those? It seems that a-"

"It is your fault that I have to take these. Had your race not used me as their guinea pig, I would not have to take these things." She began to verbalize her observation when Raven rudely interrupted her, shaking the bottle of pills in his human hand before stowing it back into his pocket.

Finally, the other two people present turned to face him. Both wore the white armor of the Hamel Protectors. One of them was huge, perhaps three meters tall as it towered over the petite Nasod Queen. Its face was hidden inside the awe inspiring helmet with a large red crest that ran from the forehead to the middle of its back and Raven could feel the figure's eyes on him through the glowing yellow slots for the oculars. Strapped to its back was a cannon that would not be out of place mounted on a warship and a majestic red cape was held onto the armor by thick red cords.

"Hoho, Raven. I thought I heard your angry voice." The armored titan spoke in a booming male voice as he held up an armored gauntlet in a greeting gesture.

"If you can still recognize my voice, then your age has not defeated your hearing at least, Helputt. What brings The Destroyer of Hamel to Velder?" Raven quipped to the metal giant.

"Ha, well if the demons could not defeat me, what makes you think that old age would? Anyways, I am here to take charge of… whatever this is. Sorry, I cannot speak much about it in the open." Helputt hooked his big thumb towards the towering Dock Twelve.

The man called Helputt was a survivor of the war against the demons and the leader of the Hamel Protectors. He had unfortunately fallen under their influence for a time and was forced to lay waste to his home during the conflict. However, after many brave sacrifices from the Hamel Protectors and the Velder Red Knights, he was finally freed from the demon's control. Since then, he had pledged his loyalty to the entirety of the human forces, not just the Protectors.

Then Raven turned his focus to the other person present. Unlike Helputt, they were not gigantic, but the person was around Raven's height. Their dirty blonde hair extended down to their waist and there were two very odd dark spots around the area where the ears were supposed to be. Their eyes were a beautiful blue and their face appeared feminine, yet fierce at the same time. She too had a rather large cannon on her back, though it was nowhere near as big as Helputt's.

"And who is this young lady? Your daughter I assume? I heard you had a child around the age of sixteen. Is this her?" Raven motioned politely to the woman. At this Eve began shaking her head in disappointment and Helputt roared with laughter, his massive chest plate heaving violently.

"Chung, why don't you introduce yourself to Raven before he gets the wrong idea." Helputt managed to squeeze these words out in between his fits of laughter. The young woman in question scratched her head nervously as she avoided Raven's gaze.

"How are you Sir Raven, I am Chung. And… actually, I am a boy." The voice definitely sounded like a male voice, which meant that this Chung was a guy. _A guy… that I just called a girl._ Raven's thoughts stopped for a moment as he processed the information. Finally, realization hit him like a battering ram.

"I am so sorry! It's just that you look… how do I put this? Feminine?" Raven stammered while he took a couple steps backwards in shock.

"I told you, Chung, your hair gives everyone the impression that you are a female. Ever since you started guarding me, many people have made that mistake. We must cut it short so that such incidents do not continue to occur." Eve looked at the armored boy and brought out a pair of scissors from… somewhere. Chung immediately back stepped rapidly until he was against the wall of Dock Twelve, looking at the Nasod Queen like she was going to eat him.

"But I like my hair the way it is! Do you know how long it took me to get it this long? Father, stop laughing and help me dissuade her!" Chung frighteningly pleaded as he turned to his father for help. Helputt just continued to laugh. After a couple more seconds of his guffawing, Helputt finally managed to calm himself.

"Your Majesty, we have other matters to take care of. Maybe you can cut Chung's hair later." He spoke jollily to the little empress. Eve thought for a moment before nodding and putting away the scissors.

"Shall we go in?" Helputt strode to the door, which seemed to be designed with him in mind as it was huge, to the dock. He turned the wheel mounted on the door and pulled it open, motioning for everyone to go inside. Eve entered without any hesitation with Chung following cautiously behind her. Raven walked over the threshold seconds after and Helputt followed them in, closing the massive hatch behind him.

The corridor the group was now in was a brilliant white that was clearly not made by human hands. They began walking down the passage, going deeper into Dock Twelve.

"Did you and your race make this place?" Raven posed a question to the Code Empress.

"Yes, we did. However, I believe that we came here… for this." Eve nodded her head in acknowledgement as they neared the end of the corridor. She stepped out of the tunnel and onto a suspended catwalk before turning to face the rest of the party and motioned to the object behind her.

Raven was swallowing some saliva as he stepped onto the catwalk, and then nearly choked on it when he saw what Eve was referring to.

It looked like a warship, but not one Raven had ever seen. It seemed to be composed of three sections that lay next to each other side by side. The mid-section looked like a battle cruiser, but much longer at over three hundred meters and the hull was angular as opposed flowing curves. The bridge was situated slightly off center, closer to the rear of the vessel and was block shaped, with view ports giving it a full view of the surrounding horizontal plane. Mounted on the rear of the section was the engine that likely drove the juggernaut. The blue glow from the futuristic spheres in the square engine block indicated that it was of nasod origin. The other two sections of the ship were identical. They appeared to be huge, angular armor plates that were attached to the mid-section at slight angles. The warship, when including these plates, stood at one hundred meters tall, three hundred and twenty meters long and seventy five meters wide.

Another big difference between this monstrosity and the other ships outside of the dock was that it was completely metal instead of wood. The white grey steel gleamed under the artificial nasod lights. But there was one particular feature that struck Raven dumb. Mounted on the front deck of the mid-section was a battery of cannons of a caliber beyond anything that Raven had seen before. Three barrels protruded forward from a block like section mounted on a swivel. Raven could not even begin to imagine the destruction that would result from a salvo from this weapon. There would be nothing left.

"So what do you think, Raven? She is a beauty, huh?" Helputt broke the silence with a hearty laugh. "Best part is, I am her captain."

Raven finally snapped out of his stupor only to fall into bewilderment again at this proclamation.

"Wait, what!? What is this thing!?" This was a rare moment when he could not put his thoughts into words and just gave voice to his confusion. Eve was the one who decided to educate him.

"This is the result of a collaboration of the nasods and Hamel and Velder maritime and airspace engineers. This is the first dreadnought class warship ever created. It boasts a battery of turret mounted five hundred millimeter guns on the front of the craft as well as a turret mounted High Impact Nasod Laser Cannon (HINLC) on the rear deck. There is another HINLC mounted to the bow of the craft, but it is fixed. It also carries two one hundred and twenty seven millimeter secondary turret cannons, mounted near the front of the bridge on either side. The plate sections carry eighteen integrated homing missile launch systems, nine on each side, and also have twenty artillery guns for mid-range surface strikes, ten on each side. There are also several smaller cannons and turret guns mounted all around the hull for close range fire. Finally, Wally of Elder was kind enough to share the designs of his Nasod Flare Cannon, which is mounted on top of the bridge to help ward off close range attackers. All of the solid shell weapons feature a nasod auto loading system. We have also outfitted the vessel with a prototype motor that can give it temporary flight." Eve described the load out of the battleship as if she were reading it off of note cards. Raven was with her until the flight part.

"Wait, _temporary flight_? You mean that this gigantic hunk of metal can fly!?" Raven was once again left speechless.

"Not indefinitely. It can only operate in the sky for about three hours before it has to land to recharge. Chung was very helpful in the planning and construction of the motor." Eve clarified as Chung smiled nervously with a slight blush in his cheeks.

"So, basically what she is saying is that this vessel is both a naval vessel and an airship. It was meant to serve as the capital ship of the new Eighth Fleet, as well as the central vessel in the airship flotillas." Chung dumbed down Eve's long explanation as best as he could to the shocked Raven.

"This brings us to your assignment, Raven." Helputt suddenly became more serious, losing the jolly tone that he had earlier. Picking up on the change in mood, Raven's wide eyes narrowed as he gave the titan his full attention.

"Just yesterday, the elves attacked the Elder Airship Yards. They stole thirteen airships; one cruiser class, three destroyer classes, five frigate classes and four transports. They also set fire to the docks as they left, the entire air fleet was docked there, and now most of the flotilla is out of commission." Helputt gave Raven the situation, and it was pretty bad. The elves never pulled off an operation of this scale unless…

"What are they planning on doing with those airships? Are they gunning for Altera?" Raven posed his question.

"That is what we believe." Now a new voice cut through the air inside the dock. The group turned to face the newcomer as they strode down the gangway from the warship. His face was narrow as were his blue eyes. And with each step he took, the long, silver grey hair braid swayed behind his back. He wore a grey tunic with matching grey slacks. His long fencing gloves extended nearly to his elbows. He was flanked by two nasods, Oberon and Ophelia, Eve's servants.

"Alex…" Raven said the name begrudgingly.

"Raven…" Alex came to a stop only a meter from where Raven was standing. Chung looked back and forth between the two nervously when...

"Haha, it is good to see you friend!"

"Likewise!"

The two men pulled each other into a brotherly hug. When they separated, they stilled gripped the other's right hand firmly in a sign of deep friendship. Alex was probably Raven's best friend, they had been friends since they were children and he helped Raven get through a very rough time in his life.

"Inspecting the nasods' handiwork? Although I guess the Supreme Commander of the human forces should be here to see this." Raven smiled to his friend as he released his hand.

"Of course. As much as I would like to catch up, we have more pressing matters." Alex's voice turned professional as his smile changed into a frown. "We have received intelligence that the elves plan on using the hijacked airships to mount an assault on Altera. If they take control of the island and its defenses, we are going to have a hell of a time taking it back, not to mention that they will be in a good position to occupy Bethma and essentially cut off Elder from the southern continent. Also, they will then gain access to the nasod technology and secrets we have there if they take that place. So here is the first mission for this new warship." Alex explained the situation to the party as he motioned to the dreadnought behind him. "Captain Helputt, your mission will be to escort the transport airships that we managed to reactivate and, if possible, support the ground forces in their defense of Altera Island. Raven, Chung and Eve, you will be providing support on board this ship. In the event that the warship has to land, Raven, you are to disembark to Altera and continue supporting our soldiers. Eve and Chung will remain aboard the vessel to provide technical support. Among the forces that are being delivered to Altera, Lowe and Noah as well as another magic specialist will be present. Also, Red Knight Squads Four and Six as well as around seventy foot soldiers will be on those transports. Be sure that they all get to Altera safe. That is all."

The nasod Queen nodded without a flicker of emotion as she floated off to the battleship. Oberon and Ophelia bowed to the rest of the group as they followed their queen, with Moby and Remy in tow. Raven, Helputt and Chung snapped off perfect salutes to their superior officer before verbalizing their acknowledgement.

"Yes sir!"

Raven then realized something…

"Wait, so what is the ship's name?"

Alex smiled big as he told him.

"The Spirit of Motherwill."

* * *

*****Hom, the home of the elves, was truly a sight to behold. The city that was central to the continent that was the sister plane of Elrios shared the name of their world. No. More like their world was named after this city. Dramatic spires rose up in brilliant white and green stone and vibrant trees lined the city streets. The city was situated on a large hill and at the top of the hill, was the elven El Tree. This tree was the greatest treasure of the elven race, more precious than any of their lives. Thus, the city of Hom was built around the tree to both protect and nurture it. As one got closer to the peak of the hill, they would run into a large garrison that surrounded the El Tree. Grand Archers, Night Watchers and Wind Sneakers all kept vigilance around the clock to ensure that no harm came to the tree. However, there were several areas around the outside of the garrison that showed no military presence. Throughout the city, there were several plazas where the residents of the city could come together as a community.

Rena, now back in her Grand Archer uniform, rested her head on her arms on a balcony overlooking one such plaza in the elven city of Hom. Everyone seemed to be going about their lives as normal. Mothers chased their children, couples walked arm in arm, merchants advertised their wares and groups of elven men laughed at each other's terrible jokes. Children whose parents were not present splashed about the central fountain and climbed the trees that dotted the space. Despite the jovial atmosphere filled with cries of happiness, Rena was far from happy.

Just the other day, she had finally finished informing the families of her team of their fate with the Elders. Some of the families had taken the news better than the others. Lysha's husband was a solider himself, so he had mentally prepared himself in the event if she was to fall on the field. However, it still did not stop him from shedding a few tears. Bestra's husband had passed on from terminal illness, leaving her with her two daughters of the ages sixteen and nine. The older sibling was devastated; Rena could still see the color drain from her face as she wordlessly closed the door to their home. The cries had come moments later. Trion's father was furious at the news, thinking that it was a sick joke. Rena had never heard so many profanities in such a short time frame before in her long life. Radimir's mother actually appeared disappointed by the news, as she had muttered that he could have learned a thing or two from his brother. Although, Rena still saw the tears glistening in her eyes. But perhaps the most heartbreaking was when she had to inform Fey's grandparents of their granddaughter's demise. The grandmother sounded like someone had thrust their hand into her abdomen and squeezed her stomach. Not a single word was spoken as her husband brought her back inside as tears streamed down his cheeks. Rena could still hear the grandmother calling out Fey's name as they had left the residence.

Rena buried her solemn face further into her arms as she tried to push away the grief stricken faces of those people in her mind, but they only seemed to become clearer the harder she tried. _WHY!? Why did you survive!? Why are you still alive!? How is it just you!?_ Once again Lyf's words echoed mercilessly in her head.

"I don't know… I don't know why I lived. I should have died in that forest, but I didn't. I don't even know why I survived, either…" Rena's eyes filled with tears as she spoke to no one in particular, only in response to her own thoughts. In her heart, she felt... alone. Everyone hated and despised her for her failures. She was the only survivor, so they had all blamed her. What if she had died in that forest? Would everyone regard her as merely doing her duty, regaled as a tragic hero? She had never felt so alone before in her life.

This isolation... it was so painful.

Then suddenly, her vision went black and she felt a pair of hands on her face.

"Guess who?" A cheerful voice sounded from behind her. The sudden change of pace had Rena confused for a moment, but after a couple of seconds of deliberation, she answered the voice.

"Lime, I can't see." Rena sighed and then her vision returned as the hands that were covering her eyes pulled away.

******Rena spun around to see two female elves. One of them had a brilliant smile glued on her face as she bounded away from Rena, her bob cut green hair bouncing along with her motions. Her vibrant one piece green and white skirt and top revealed much of her chest, yet kept her breasts where they needed to be. And her black boots shone like they were brand new; likely because they were new. The other elf had her pale blonde hair tied into a bun and wore a circlet that went across the crown of her head. Her outfit was a lot more reserved than the other elf's attire, with tight fitting white pants and top, complete with black boots and white gloves.

"Amelia, too? What are you two doing here?" Rena asked with her eyes full of surprise.

"We are here to cheer you up." Amelia smiled like a mother would to her child as she held up a bag with yellow chunks inside it; candied El fruit, Rena's favorite snack.

Rena must have had a dumb look on her face because Lime suddenly burst into laughter.

"Rena, you're drooling."

Rena quickly shook her head back and forth as she wiped away the saliva at the corner of her mouth. However, she could not wipe away the blush that appeared on her face. She could only squeeze out a nervous thank you to the two elves as she approached them, with a big smile on her face.

The three elves sat down at a nearby bench and Amelia handed over the candied El fruit to Rena, who wasted no time in tearing open the bag and eating the little treats.

"Looks like you still have not lost your obsession over those things." Amelia chuckled as she watched Rena stuff her mouth with several pieces of fruit, bulging out her soft cheeks like a rodent. Rena suddenly froze as she realized that she was being a pig, and quickly chewed the pieces that were in her mouth before swallowing with a nervous smile.

"Now that is more like the Rena we all know and love!" Lime beamed as she showed another bright grin.

"Thank you, you two. This is just what I needed." Rena graciously thanked the elves on either side of her.

"Hey what are friends for, right? Lime reassured with yet another dazzling smile.

Lime and Amelia were Rena's closest friends. They befriended each other when they were much younger, long before the war with the humans started. The three had been virtually inseparable since. But after the events of the sealing away of the demons and the El Shard possession negotiations, they had been seeing one another less and less. But it was moments like this that more than made up for their time apart.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but we heard what happened at the portal from Shadmir" Amelia changed to a more somber topic. Rena's elfish ears drooped when she heard those words as she recalled that incident.

"Sorry, Rena, we know that you already told the Elders and the families everything already… but can you tell us what happened?" Lime's smile finally faded from her face as she looked at her friend sadly.

Rena bit the inside of her cheek as she debated with herself if she could keep herself together this time. She had almost broken down with Fey's grandparents when she told them what had transpired. But, these were her friends, she could tell them anything, right?

So, with solemn determination, Rena lifted her head and told them everything that happened. Just as she got to the part when the man spoke to her at blade point, Lime interrupted her recounting of the events.

"My El, Rena… I am so sorry." Lime's ears drooped in apology as she glanced at Amelia, whose saddened face nodded to her. "But there is one thing we should tell you. It was not your fault."

Rena's eyes, which had been shut trying to hold back the tears from overflowing, sprang open. No one had told her that ever since she had gotten back. The only responses she had been getting lately were cries of grief, looks of disappointment and angry accusations. Not once had someone told her that she was not at fault for not bringing everyone home alive. Rena craned her neck back to look at her friends with the tears still in her eyes. Their faces showed not anger or grief, but rather pity and… joy; joy that their friend at least came back to them.

Now, new tears streamed down her face, but not ones of sadness, but of happiness. She was not alone. All this time, everyone in the city had been shunning her in their own way, she who could not save her team. But Amelia and Lime openly welcomed her home, when no one else did. She was truly blessed to have such people in her life.

"Amelia… Lime… Thank you both… so much…" She squeezed out these words in between her fits of sobbing. The other two elves embraced their friend from both sides as she cried into their arms.

* * *

**Aren't friends great? Real ones that is. The ones that support you no matter what, and are always ready to lend and ear or a shoulder. After Rena's traumatizing experience, I wanted to get her back on her feet. So I figured, "Why not give her some more elven friends?" I hope this story lives up to the standards that I have been setting so far. As for the Spirit of Motherwill, I had a very hard time describing it without using modern day terms that would be out of place in Elrios. Basically, imagine the decks of two aircraft carriers and lay them on their side and stick a blocky battleship in between them and then make the mid section really big. This ship is supposed to invoke awe and fear into those that see it. If you want to see my inspiration for this vessel, Google "Spirit of Motherwill" and check out the images. And yes you will get to see it in action in the next chapter. Until then, Read and Review and let your friends know about this story. The more reviews I get from different people, not that I am saying I don't like getting your reviews Half-Demon-Cali and Zarosguth, the more motivated I get. Until next time!**


	6. Skies of Despair

**Ok, I have been drafting this chapter until it was almost 5 AM, so I apologize if there are errors everywhere. But anyways we get to see some more action as we look to a new battlefield, Altera. This was a chapter I wanted to write for a long time, so when I started writing it I just could not stop. I had to finish it lest the inspiration escaped me. One thing I highly recommend, though; go to Youtube or something and listen to "Spirit of Motherwill" starting at the section with the *. It really sets the mood of what will be a struggle against an insurmountable enemy. Also, listen to "Mirai Nikki Minene Death Theme" at the **. The feels that I got listening to that was just... listen to it there. Now enjoy chapter 6 of "Boundaries!"**

* * *

Aisha sat in the meagerly cushioned seat gripping tightly onto her harness. Her eyes were on the grey featureless floor and her white shoes. There were others in the same space as her, but they did not make a sound, leaving only the rumble of the engines and the vibrations of the hull of the airship reaching her ears. She was still trying to wrap her head around what had occurred only twenty four ago.

She had been researching additional applications for magic in the Royal Velder Library when Noah showed up with her face pale. At first, Aisha thought her teacher had had one of her freezing spells rebound, but when she saw her eyes, that theory flew out the window. Aisha could still remember the fear in Noah's voice.

_Aisha… have you ever seen combat before?_ The sudden question was disarming to say the least. But Aisha had answered truthfully anyways.

_No, I haven't. Why are you asking me this, Teacher?_ Noah's face then became crestfallen as she muttered to herself. _Then why would they request such a thing…_

Aisha had never seen Noah so worried before, so it had put her on edge. Regardless, she had still pressed for more information. _What is going on, Teacher?_

Noah shuddered when Aisha asked her that question. Her face was now white as a sheet as she withdrew a document that bore the official seal of the Allied Human Forces. She wordlessly handed Aisha the sheet of paper. Aisha took it from her teacher and read its contents. Her whole body began to shake as she absorbed the information written.

_Allied Human Forces Military Command hereby orders Aisha, The Magic Prodigy, to sortie in the military operation to defend Altera from an imminent elven attack. Aisha, The Magic Prodigy, is to prepare for combat immediately and report to the Western Gate for transport to the battlefield in one day's time. Refusal to carry out this official order will be considered treason of the highest order and punishable as dictated by military law._

Aisha was shocked. She was being sent into combat? But she was not even part of the military, so why would she have to participate in combat? She looked to her mentor for answers, since she was also a member of Military Command.

_Teacher, what is this? Why am I being ordered to go to battle? _Noah hung her head like a child being scolded. Without moving her head, she spoke.

_Aisha, since you are my student, you are technically property of the Allied Human Forces. Had you been under the tutelage of a master who was not military, you would have nothing to worry about. But since I am part of the Velder Imperial Guard, which is now a branch of the armed forces, as my student… you fall under my command, not just as an apprentice, but as a soldier._ Noah's tone was apologetic as she educated Aisha. _I am sorry Aisha, but they did not tell me they were going to order you to sortie. By the time I learned that they were going to send you to battle, the order was already drafted and sealed._

Aisha felt her strength leave her body and she slumped in her chair. She did not know what to think. But there was one thing she had to be sure of.

_You don't seem too happy about this. So why take me in as a student? Why take the risk of having me be sent off to the front lines?_ She asked in pleading voice. Noah finally bent her neck to look her student in the eyes. Then she cupped Aisha's small face in her armored hands and the two pairs of amethyst eyes stared into each other.

_You remind me so much of myself when I was younger. I guess I wanted to relive the excitement of the learning experience. I never thought that Military Command would send you to the battlefield. But now that I think on it, I know one thing for sure. You will be fine. If you are anything like I was when I was younger, then you will pull through._

Aisha recalled what her teacher said to her and she could not help but smile. Those words of encouragement had given Aisha the strength to accept the order, even though she did not have a choice in the first place. Besides, it was not like she was going there on her own; Noah and Lowe were both also being sortied as well. Being the student of Noah, Aisha knew very well what her teacher was capable of. And she had seen Lowe training other soldiers and he was very strong; strong enough to lead his own squad of Red Knights, Squad Six. Not only that, she was integrated into Red Knight Squad Four, apparently at the recommendation of Military Command, which was probably at Noah's urging. This meant she would be fighting alongside Elesis, The Crimson Storm. This put her more at ease. But, there was just one slight issue.

"How you holding up, short stuff? There is a bag to your left if you need it." A familiar red headed knight chided her.

"Thanks, Lieutenant, but if I need to blow chunks, I think your lap will be more than enough." Aisha countered with an annoyed look in her eyes. Elsword's eyes went wide as he attempted to scoot farther away from the magician, but he was anchored to his seat with his harness.

"You do that, and I will-"

"Lieutenant, be more gracious to our magic specialist." Elsword had started to retort, but a glowering look from his sister clamped his mouth shut. Then a soldier entered the space where the knight squad was strapped in.

"We are almost there, double check your equipment. We will arrive in Altera airspace in thirty minutes. Things will likely get bumpy." The soldier then about faced and walked back into the cockpit block. At this announcement, the knights all drew their weapons to inspect them. Following their example, Aisha summoned her staff and began checking it over for damages. There were none.

"Hey, do you have any armor?" Aisha looked over at Elsword with a confused look when he asked her that question.

"Er… I don't, but I can use my magic as a shield if I need to." She answered his question as best as she could.

"And is this your first time in combat?" His eyes were strangely serious.

"… Yes, this will be my first time. But I can handle myself… I think." She tried to sound brave, but the truth was she was scared. She was going somewhere where she might have to kill someone, even if they were an elf. But if she did not kill them, then they would kill her. That was how it works, right?

"Stay close to me. I'll protect you." Aisha was snapped out of her stupor and she stared at the young boy next to her in surprise. He was facing away from her, but she could have sworn she saw him blushing. It was… kind of cute.

"Okay." She nodded with a smile on her face. She did not even notice the red that appeared on her face.

* * *

Rena was not afraid of heights, but still… being so high in the sky was unnerving seeing as she had little experience in that aspect. Hiding out in the branches of trees was one thing, but flying through the sky with the clouds at eye level was something else entirely. However, it felt liberating, to be soaring in the sky with the wind blowing across your face.

Things had started to move along rather quickly over the past couple of days. After her reunion with Lime and Amelia, the three of them were summoned by the Elders. Apparently, Erendris and his Night Savers had hijacked thirteen human airships and the Elders wanted to use them to transport troops to the floating island of Altera. They also wanted Rena, Amelia and Lime to participate in the ground assault. It was supposed to be a quick operation. They would use the airships to deploy the rangers on the island and they would then take control of its defenses in order to establish their foothold on Altera. If this was successful, with the human's air fleet more or less out of commission due to the efforts of the Night Savers, the humans would lose control of the skies over Elrios and the elves would have access to the plentiful El shard stores in the mountains on the island. Also, if they took control of Altera they could likely pressure the nasods into betraying the humans. Finally, they would be well positioned to take Bethma, effectively severing Elder from the rest of the continent.

So, in a day's time Rena, Amelia and Lime had packed their things and were transported to a forest at the north east tip of Elrios via the portals. It was here the stolen airships were being hidden. Not too long after their arrival there, the flying ships prepared for launch and were airborne, along with eighty rangers, Sniping and Combat, and twenty Night Savers.

"Rena, we are ready to start the briefing." Lime poked her head out from behind the hatch to the bridge.

"Okay, be right there." Rena gracefully spun around and followed Lime through the hatch. After they sealed the thick door behind them they proceeded to the large table in the middle of bridge. Surrounding the table were Amelia, two other Grand Archers, a male and female, a male Wind Sneaker and a rather fierce looking male Night Watcher. She and Lime took their places at the table. The Wind Sneaker at the head of the table nodded in satisfaction when he saw that everyone was in attendance.

"Okay, everyone is here. Let's begin. I am Captain Hoden and I am in charge of making sure everyone gets onto that floating island safely." Everyone acknowledged him with a formal salute. "This ship and the other twelve that were appropriated by Erendris and his team will shuttle you and your squads to the island and will then provide you with support as needed. I will now hand off the explanation of the ground operation to Erendris." He bowed politely and the Night Watcher nodded as he spoke in an icy voice.

"I and a squad of Night Savers will attempt to infiltrate the island's interior once we land. Rena, Radis, Irha, your squads are to hold off the enemy until we gain control of the island's defense systems. Amelia and Lime, you two will be moving from front to front assisting where it is necessary. Also, Rena, I want you and your team to approach the enemy response forces from the side. Flank them and break their lines, then Radis and Irha's teams can capitalize on their confusion." Erendris's tone of voice never wavered as he outlined the battle plan while tracing out the battle positions across the map on the table.

It was a sound plan. Although, despite Erendris and his Night Savers' role in the operation, it fell to the teams of rangers outside to keep the human response forces from crushing them from behind as they dealt with the nasod defenses. And it was anticipated that the humans would respond in great force. However, without air support against the elves' airships, they would be at a huge disadvantage.

"If there are no other questions, then take your positions. This is for the continuation of our race. _Uli nara-e yeong-gwang_." Erendris adjourned the brief meeting with a salute, and the rest of the elves present mimicked him.

"_Al gess seub ni da."_ They all acknowledged their orders simultaneously before dispersing. Radis, Irha, Amelia and Lime left for the hold to prepare for the deployment.

"Rena, a moment please?" Just as Rena had crossed into the hallway that connected the bridge to the hub of the ship, she was stopped by Erendris. She turned around to face him.

Most of his body was hidden behind his feathered black cloak that was the standard of the Night Savers, but the tight green and black body suit that peeked out here and there showed a body forged of steel. His jaw was narrow and his green hair was slicked back. His eyes were narrow and looked like they could cut someone with just a glare. Overall, he was like a finely honed blade, like the blade Erendil, which he carried on his person at all times.

"I heard about what happened in Ruben. How are you holding up?" Rena was surprised by the question, but she answered anyways.

"I am much better now, thank you. But… I am sorry about Radimir, Erendris. I am so sorry I could not bring him home alive." Her eyes were now downcast from the guilt. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She bent her neck to look at the Night Watcher, and saw… a smile?

"I know you are Rena. But I am just glad that you came back safe. Be careful out there, okay?" He then brought up his gloved hand to her face and held it there for a moment before letting her go and striding past her.

Rena could feel her heart pounding in her chest and a red blush creep onto her cheeks. _What was that just now?_ She thought he would have been at least somewhat mad at her inability to bring his own brother home living. But that interaction just now seemed to suggest something else. Did he… no, but the Night Savers were not supposed to have those feelings. Such feelings would interfere with their duties. But why was she feeling like this. She never felt like this before, despite her long life. It was… strange.

Suddenly, her jumbled thoughts were interrupted by a shrill ringing. She jumped at the sound, nearly hitting her head on the ceiling.

"Enemy airships sighted at eight hundred meters south west of our position. All personnel to battle stations!" Hoden's voice rang throughout the hall from the walls and Rena's mind froze. There were not supposed to be any airships that the humans could use right?

Her curiosity got the best of her as she ran back onto the bridge. Hoden turned around when he heard her step onto the bridge.

"Grand Archer Rena, I thought you were down in the hold already." Hoden seemed somewhat bewildered at her presence.

"I wanted to see what the humans have. I thought they had no usable aircraft." Rena stated worriedly. At this Hoden's expression relaxed.

"I do not think that it is much to be concerned over. We see four transport class airships, they present no threat to our fleet." He motioned to a set of two tubes with lens on them. Rena picked up the object and put them to her face. It looks like this contraption was used to magnify ones vision so they could see farther away. Indeed, there were four transport airships appearing from the clouds on the opposite side of the floating island.

"It looks like they will be landing on island at the same time as we are." Rena took the tubes from her eyes as she voiced her thoughts.

"Not if we have anything to say about it, they won't." Hoden reached for what looked like a searchlight with shades on it. He began to open and close the shades in a pattern that Rena was not familiar with. Then, one of the seventy meter frigates in their fleet began to accelerate ahead of the rest of the fleet and closed on the transports. In no time at all, the ship had closed the distance between it and the human controlled vessels to only four hundred meters and was continuing to close on them.

Then Rena saw something glint in the dark clouds about five hundred meters behind the enemy ships. She quickly brought up the magnifying tool to her eyes again as she focused in on…

Suddenly, the clouds parted as three flashes of light appeared. No, the clouds were torn apart by those flashes and now there were three spheres of red and white light streaking through the sky towards the frigate. Just as Rena realized what it was, one of the spheres impacted the frigate dead center on the starboard side… and split it in half.

Rena dropped the magnifying object in shock when she witnessed this and turned to Hoden. He too, had a set of the sight enhancing elements to his eyes, and his jaw went slack.

"What in El's name…" He muttered as he watched the pieces of the frigate fall out of the sky. Rena picked up the strange vision augmenting tool again and looked again at the enemy ships… and felt her spirit drop.

*****Behind the human controlled transports was a ship of massive proportions. Its white metal glistened in the sun and the cannons on the front deck gleamed a frightful black. And now those same cannons were turning… to face the elven fleet.

"Hoden! I think they are getting ready to fire again!" Rena shouted to the captain in alarm.

"I know!" The elf barked in response and grabbed a strange device that appeared to have some kind of grid on it and attached to the wall with a coiled cord. "Engine room, all ahead full. Navigation, emergency evasion to port!" He shouted into the thing. Not even three seconds after he said that, the ship pitched to port and Rena nearly fell to the floor. As the vessel was banking away, Rena saw the same flashes that heralded the destruction of the frigate. This time the spheres impacted the bow of one of the destroyers that the elves had appropriated. The orbs of death gutted the aircraft from stem to stern, shattering it like glass. The shockwave and thunder from the assault then reached them, roaring like a terrible storm.

"This is bad! We need to get our ground forces on the island now!" Hoden roared at the situation. Rena gazed at the elven captain in awe. Even despite the sudden change of events, he was still focused on his mission.

"Captain Hoden, we need to retreat and reconsider our strategy!" Rena advised her elven brethren. And then he wheeled around and looked her in the eyes. Rena took a couple steps back in shock. His eyes were filled with a fire that she had never seen before.

"We will not get another chance like this, Grand Archer Rena. It is now or never! Get yourself down to the hold now and get ready to disembark. We will keep that juggernaut off you! Now go!" Hoden ordered the Grand Archer, not giving her any time to argue. She only nodded her head wordlessly as she spun around and sprinted down the hall.

It only took her a minute to make it to the hold. Amelia saw her running down the steps from the hub and ran up to her friend.

"Rena, what is going on? What was that thunder just now?" Her face showed confusion and fear.

"The humans have another airship. It just took out two of our craft like it was nothing, and we are not even in range yet. But that is not what we should be worried about. We are continuing the mission!" Rena quickly explained the dire situation to her friend. Amelia's eyes became wide circles as she realized that the tables had turned. Rena then turned to the rest of the elves, who were now apprehensive from the new developments, except Erendris, and took a deep breath.

"Everyone, we are only minutes away from disembarking! Get ready to jump ship! We are only going to have moments to get off this cruiser. After that, the fleet will cover us! Now let's take this island! _ULI NARA-E YEONG-GWANG!_" She cried out to her fellow elves and they raised their bows in response.

"_ULI NARA-E YEONG-GWANG__!" _Their cries rang throughout the hold as their battle spirits lifted higher than the clouds that surrounded them outside.

After a couple of tense minutes and lurching from the ship, they all felt the telltale thud of steel on earth as the craft landed on the surface of the island. Not a moment later, the bay doors opened.

"GO GO GO!" Erendris' commanding voice now resounded as the elves piled out of the airship. Not a second after the last elf stepped off onto the island, the aircraft took to the skies again and the bay doors closed.

Rena scanned the skies above Altera. It looked like all the transports that the elves had stolen had kept themselves from being shot down, but now there were two more ships missing, both were frigates. All they had left now were nine ships, the cruiser she had just left, two destroyers, two frigates and the four transports.

Suddenly, as the transports were one hundred meters off the ground after dropping off the rangers they carried, a great beam of light cut through the sky and struck the transport group. Two of the transports were caught in the center of the beam and were instantly vaporized. The other two craft were clipped by the light and were now hurtling to the ground, and one of them was on a collision course with the elves on the surface.

"MOVE IT!" Rena screamed to her comrades as she broke into a run. The other elves scrambled out from under the growing shadow of the crashing airship. Fortunately, no one was crushed underneath the aircraft, but Rena could hear the screams of the elves trapped inside the blazing wreakage as it impacted the ground, drowning their cries in an explosion.

She then saw the other transport. It was precariously balancing on the edge of the island and on fire. She could see the elves who were piloting it attempting to escape from the cockpit by breaking through the view ports. Then, the ruined airship started tipping back into the sea of clouds that surrounded the island. _Oh my El… Please don't…_ Rena made a silent prayer. But it went unanswered as the craft finally gave in to gravity and plummeted off the edge into the dark sky, with the cries of her kin following it.

She could not bear to watch this. As she tried to avert her eyes as she made her way to the rendezvous, there was yet another crash of destructive thunder. Yet another one of the ships they had stolen was shot out of the sky and dropped from the sky in pieces. It was another frigate, leaving only four ships. Could they really stop that monster?

She then focused on the open space that extended across the majority of Altera. On the opposite side of the island she saw the human transports taking off, likely having successfully dropped their troops on the island. _Damn._ She cursed to herself as another flash lit up the sky. Once again, the flaming wreckage of another of their ships fell from the air in fragments, landing in the open Altera fields. She tightly closed her eyes, as she tried not to look at her brethren being slaughtered while she could no nothing.

It was like in Ruben forest, when that man with the demonic arm murdered her squad while she just sat there and watched. She was overwhelmed by this feeling of helplessness as she kept running to the rendezvous.

* * *

Captain Hoden was at his wits end. This single enemy ship had just annihilated almost the entire fleet of ships that the Night Savers stole, and they had not even fired a single shot back, yet! That battery of cannons on the front deck of the dreadnought clearly had more than enough firepower to destroy their ships with a single salvo and its range was huge.

Finally, his ship and the remaining two ships were in range to attack the white monstrosity. Without skipping a beat he signaled the other ships to fire their main cannons. He felt the vibrations through the floor of the bridge as he saw the glowing shells rocket from their weapons and raced to the giant enemy aircraft. Hoden held his breath as he prayed to the Lady of El that this would at least do some damage.

The shells finally impacted the port side plates on the vessel, exploding in a flash of red and white. Hoden knuckles were white as he gripped the railing tightly and held his breath. Finally, the smoke began to clear from the site of impact, and he felt his heart sink below the clouds.

There was no damage inflicted whatsoever. He could not even tell if even the paint was burned. What was this, a nightmare? It must be, because those massive black cannons now turned to take aim on the fleet again.

Hoden felt himself give up. They could not stop this thing. It was utterly overwhelming, there was no stopping it.

******Then, Hoden thought of Rena and his comrades who were now on Altera, preparing for the biggest battle in this war. They were counting on him and his ships to support them, to keep this beast away from them. But their weapons had no effect on this titan. But they did have one more weapon. He gripped the strange black handheld device connected to the wall with grim determination as he gave out one more order.

"Engine room, get this ship moving as fast as you can. Navigation… set a collision course for the enemy vessel. We must stop it here. Not for our pride or race, but for our comrades who are fighting the greatest battle of their lives. That is all." He solemnly hung up the device and faced the monstrous enemy.

The cruiser and other two ships accelerated, making a beeline for their opponent. From the bow of the enemy battleship came a flash of light, which struck the frigate and vaporized the port side half of the ship in the blink of an eye and it descended from the clouds like a wounded bird. Then the terrifying cannons flashed as they loosed another round of shells. The shells impacted the destroyer tearing it apart into several indistinguishable pieces as it was wiped away from Elrios. Now only the cruiser that Hoden commanded remained. But it did not matter, he was now under its line of fire, the threat of the massive cannons was no longer prevalent and the beams of destructive light could not reach them.

However, two flashes came from around the area where the bridge looked to be and several shells struck the cruiser. The violent impacts flung Hoden off his feet and his right arm struck the edge of the table. He heard a sickening crack as his arm broke, but he simply picked himself up and continued to stare down his enemy with fervor as the ship continued to accelerate towards the enemy vessel.

One hundred meters...

_Will you marry me, Lera?_

_Hoden... Thank you, I gladly accept. May the Lady of El watch over our us and may we devote our lives to one another._

_Yes!_

Eighty meters…

_Daddy, look what I made!_

_Honey, this flower wreath is beautiful! I will be sure to wear it to work today!_

Sixty…

_Do you really have to go, Hoden?_

_Yes. I have to go fight so that I can protect everyone._

_What about us, Daddy?_

_Daddy is going out there for you especially, sweetheart._

_You are going to come back right? Promise me you will come back, Daddy!_

_Of course, Hera. I promise._

Fifty...

"Sorry, Hera... Lera... But I don't think Daddy is coming home..."

Finally, when the cruiser was only twenty five meters from the hull of the enemy ship, Hoden smiled.

"Go, Grand Archer Rena, everyone. This all we can do. _Uli nara-e yeong-gwang_."

Then the cruiser struck the juggernaut and erupted into a ball of fire as the engine room was crushed.

* * *

Helputt was sitting in the command chair of The Spirit of Motherwill as he watched the last enemy ship fade from site.

"Huh… did you guys feel anything just now?" He asked the group that was gathered on the bridge.

"Not at all." Eve answered without even blinking an eye. "However, I can confirm that all enemy ships have been destroyed. Unfortunately, the flight to Altera took longer than expected and we cannot keep this vessel airborne for much longer. We need to land immediately."

"Oh, then I guess that means that is my cue to jump ship." Raven began moving towards the exit as he began to loosen up his shoulders.

"Raven. Good luck out there." Helputt called out to the Reckless Fist.

"Thank you, Helputt. I don't think this will take long." Raven's mouth broke into a slightly crazed grin as he left the bridge.

* * *

Rena saw what happened. The cruiser that she was on minutes ago, the one the Hoden was still aboard, just crashed into the gigantic enemy ship and fell to pieces like an old toy. She watched the fragments fall from the sky like they were in slow motion, before they disappeared into the clouds.

She felt the strength leave her legs as she fell to her knees. Why must this keep happening to her? Why must she watch her comrades and friends fall while she lives on? Once again, that feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her as she held herself tightly, trying to will the pain in her heart away. But it would not fade.

So she did something unlike her. She stood up, not solemnly or in grief, but in rage. She took the pain that plagued her heart and turned it into anger and hate.

"Not one more. I will not let you kill another one of my comrades. I will kill all of you humans! For my brothers and sisters who still breathe and for the comrades we have lost, I will see you SUFFER!" Her cry echoed through the sky and into the heavens.

The Battle for Altera had begun.

* * *

**This is it. One of the biggest battles in this plot has begun. I hope this chapter helps set the mood for the next chapter. I should also apologize if the transition from last chapter to this one was rather... spotty. The issue was that last chapter was already over 5,000 words long, so I did not want to extend it longer than what was necessary. But again, it is already done so... yeah. _Uli nara-e yeong-gwang_means "Glory to our home" in Korean. I really hope that you all listened to that soundtracks I suggested at the beginning, it really does give off that great enemy and last desperate attempt feel to it. So anyways, Read and Review, tell your friends and I hope for your continued support. Now to sign off for some much needed sleep. Oh, one last thing let me share a quote that I believe carries the message of the beginning of this story:**

**"War does not determine who is right - only who is left" - Bertrand Russell**


	7. Battle of Altera

**I am so sorry for the delay! The holidays kept me from updating. So here is the first part of what will be the Battle of Altera. This is a major confrontation between the elves and the humans. Just so I can clarify real quick, I know that I have giving the humans a lot of victories and the elves are constantly getting their butts kicked in almost every single scenario. This is because I do not see the elves to be a conventional fighting force. They seem to be more like guerrilla fighters to me. So they are at their best when they are either defending or sabotaging. When they attempt to fight head on, they usually suffer because of their lack of technology. This brings us to the humans. The humans have advanced technology, courtesy of the nasods, and thus are much stronger conventionally. However, this means they are susceptible to what I like to call "bug bites." They do not excel in small, numerous engagements where they cannot bring their full might to bear. But if they catch you out in the open with their best stuff, watch out. I will try to make these distinctions more clear in future updates, but for now enjoy this installment of "Boundaries!"**

* * *

The massive airship, The Spirit of Motherwill, was still present in the skies of Altera, but the ship was too far to engage the elves on the ground with its mortars and it could not bring the cannons on its front deck to bear. The ship was very slowly descending from the clouds as it lowered its altitude with grim purpose. But it would likely take a while before it would descend beneath the island.

Elsword stood at attention in his silver, red armor and tresses as he held his sword planted in the ground with both hands resting on the hilt. Aisha stood next to him, nervously fidgeting with her staff. He looked out onto the group of knights that stood ready before him. The Red Knight Squad Four, were among the most skilled of all the Red Knights and had already garnered much recognition for their efforts in suppressing a large number of elven raids across the continent, all without a single casualty. Many say that it was due to the skill of the individual knights, but Elsword knew the real reason:

His sister, Elesis Sieghart, a Grand Master, a position of the highest order before Military Command was the reason the squad had pulled through so many battles unscathed. She led them to victory with her charisma and skill on multiple occasions. He would know; she trained him so he was fully aware that she was capable of carrying the entire team on her own. She was what he aspired to be...she was what this whole squad aspired to be.

"Listen up, Red Knights. We are about to go into battle once again. However, this time we are engaging the enemy on the open field. This time around there will be many more elves looking to turn you into a pincushion, but our strategy remains the same. Cover each other, and call out your targets. I will utilize the emergency tunnels and try to get ahead of the enemy infiltration team that is likely trying to take the island as we speak. Lieutenant Sieghart!" At hearing his rank and name, Elsword stood up even straighter. "You are in charge of the squad during my absence. Good luck everyone, I will see you at the battle's end!" Their captain snapped off a sharp salute to her squad as they, Aisha included, returned the salute.

At that, Elesis spun on her heels and took a few steps away from the squad before crouching down on the ground. Her hand felt around the green grass before depressing an odd patch. A previously hidden hatch sprang open, revealing a dark tunnel that led into the island's interior. Without another backwards glance, she and her bright red hair disappeared into the tunnel and the hatch closed behind her.

Elsword now turned to the squad of Red Knights and cleared his throat.

"Everyone, let's drive away these invaders. Draw your weapons and proceed to your positions according to the briefing." The crimson haired knight, though young, still had the respect of the squad and they acknowledged his words with a perfect salute.

"Yes sir!" They then drew their swords and checked their bucklers before marching to the open Altera fields. Only Aisha remained where she was, still apprehensive.

"Oi, washboard, get moving. We're moving out." Elsword rudely commanded the purple haired mage. Her face swelled in annoyance and she shot him an icy stare. But it quickly gave way to an expression that laid bare her fear. She lowered her head and Elsword could see her shaking.

He could not blame her for being scared; he was the same way when he first took to the battlefield as a Sword Knight one year ago. Back then everyone in the squad had helped him overcome that anxiety. His sister was especially central to forging his battle spirit. But still, he could feel his stomach twist in knots before every operation; he was just better at not showing it and pushing those feelings away into a distant corner of his mind. Because of that experience, he could tell that this magician was frightened.

But he did not know how to comfort and encourage her. So he did the first thing that came to mind: he set down his sword and pulled her into a hug. She struggled for a moment, but soon her efforts to push him away ceased.

"What are you doing, ElMoron?" Aisha asked in a shaky voice.

"When I was scared before battles, my sister used to do this and tell me, 'You will not die. I will protect you.' I may not be as strong as my sister, but there is no way I can leave someone scared out of their wits like you are out here. It isn't knightly." He used his rather odd talent for speaking his mind even when he did not mean to. But, it seemed to calm the little wizard down as she looked into his face with a tender light in her purple eyes.

"Elsword… I guess it is kind of hard to tell who the older one is, huh?" She showed a shy smile and took a deep breath. After another moment of embracing, the two young humans separated from one another.

"Like I said, I will protect you. So stay close to me, Aisha." Elsword spoke as if he was stating the obvious while picking up his weapon, but it struck Aisha dumb as her cheeks flushed red.

_Did he… just call me by my name?_ Aisha could not help but notice that. Elsword was an immature brat most of the time. He would poke fun at her and just about everything he did frustrated her. But, here on the dark fields of Altera, where their lives could end at any moment, he looked like a knight, her knight in shining armor. Strangely, she felt like she could believe him: he would protect her and bring her home.

"Right!" She gripped her staff with renewed determination and the two young soldiers made off for the battlefield.

As they ran across the fields of dark green grass, they could hear the sounds of battle ahead. Shouts of pain and battle cries reached their ears as they picked up their pace. Elsword brought his red and white sword to the ready in front of him as he took a position in front of Aisha.

"Here we go, Aisha! Just stay right behind me! I will call out the targets, you blast them!" Elsword shouted to the Elemental Master as he charged forward with Aisha in tow.

"Okay!" She confirmed as she began gathering magic power from the surrounding atmosphere.

And then she set foot on the battlefield. In the middle of a three hundred meter diameter open field laid the remains of one of the destroyer class airships that was shot down, providing some makeshift cover. Also, there were some rocks jutting out of the ground that were big enough to provide protection from the elven arrows that rained down from the opposite side of the field.

There were men and women alike, shouting for support and medics. Soldiers laysprawled on the ground with holes in different places on their bodies, all leaking red blood. The Red Knights were deftly deflecting the arrows fired at them with their bucklers, slowly advancing from cover to cover. But Aisha ignored all that, her eyes fixated on Elsword's back as they charged to the first piece of cover: a large piece of that looked like what used to be the mess hall on the airship.

Elsword turned to face Aisha and motioned with his hand to the next spot they would use for cover. Aisha did not even need him to speak, and nodded her head. They then sprung from the safety of their cover and sprinted to the rock sticking out of the ground thirty meters from them.

Just when they were ten meters away, a flurry of arrows flew at them. Aisha quickly concentrated her magic into the palm of her left hand and then released it in the form of a fire ball. The ball of magic flames struck the group of arrows, incinerating half of the incoming projectiles. Elsword swatted away the remaining arrows with a single swing of his blade. Finally, the two made it to the rock and took a moment to collect themselves.

"Not bad for a book worm." Elsword smirked. Aisha just smiled back.

"You as well, dork." The duo then nodded to each other and began to weave around the rock to continue advancing… and nearly ran right into a pair of elves.

The two opposing twosomes stared at each other for only a moment, and then the elven rangers reacted. One of them rushed towards the knight and mage while the other one back leapt back and brought their bow to the ready.

"Aisha, get the one in the back! I will cover you!" Elsword charged forward to engage the elf that was running towards them. Aisha began to conjure a new spell when she noticed that the elf in the back was not aiming at her… it was taking aim at Elsword! She quickly changed her priorities and began forging a new spell.

_Please make it in time!_ Aisha prayed as she finished the preparations. The elf to the rear loosed a volley of three arrows at Elsword, who could not see them with the other elf in his face. Suddenly, the elf that the knight was engaging sidestepped, giving the arrows a clear path to the boy. Elsword's eyes widened in surprise as the arrows closed in.

Suddenly, a stone statue fell from out the air between Elsword and the projectiles, blocking them. The statue appeared to be in the image of a certain magician. Elsword quickly turned his head toward Aisha and gave her thumbs up.

"Thanks Aisha!"

"He's coming from your eleven o'clock! Watch out!"

Elsword looked in that direction and sure enough the elf from before had dashed around the statue and threw a powerful kick at his head. He ducked under the attack and grinned.

"Nice try! SONIC BLADE!" Elsword reacted faster than the elf could and unleashed a short ranged shockwave that flung the elf off his feet. He then skilfully arced his blade up and cut through the elf's torso, spaying his red blood across the grass. The other elf now changed its focus on Aisha and readied another volley of arrows. But Aisha had already prepared her next spell.

"CHAIN BURST!" She unleashed a stampede of fire balls at the elf. The elf released its arrows, but they were destroyed by the torrent of blazing spheres. The elven ranger screamed as the fire balls exploded on its body and set it ablaze. The poor thing ran here and there while it was on fire before it finally dropped to the ground and twitched for a couple moments. And then it finally it stopped moving, its blackened corpse still smoking.

She did it. She killed an elf. She just took a life. Aisha all of a sudden felt an urge to puke as she fell to her knees and cupped her hand over her mouth. Elsword noticed the predicament, quickly lifted her to her feet and brought her back behind the rock.

"Aisha, are okay!? Hey, did they land a hit on you!?" Elsword's face was wrought with worry as he placed both of his hands on her tiny shoulders.

Then he felt a presence behind him. He wheeled around, sword at the ready and saw two elves. They were both female. One of them wore a green skirt and had short green hair while the other one had pale blonde hair that framed her delicate face and she wore a white tight fitting suit. They both had their bows aimed at them.

_Crap! Not good, I can't hold them off and protect Aisha if she is like this! _Elsword panicked thoughts swirled in his head as he tried to figure out a plan. Aisha was still struggling with herself and defenseless.

"Elsword! Aisha!" Suddenly a familiar pair of voices broke through the air and the two female elves swung their heads in the direction of the voices.

A white ball of winter's chill cut through the air at the two enemies and they leapt away as it landed on the ground where they stood moments ago. The area four meters around the impact sight was covered in ice. Then a red and silver spiral sliced through the air as it closed in on the elves. Again, they had to retreat several steps to avoid the incoming attack.

After they were a good twenty meters away, Elsword shifted focus to his and Aisha's saviors. One of them had ash grey hair and carried a long scarlet, white sword and was garbed in the Red Knight Captain's uniform. The other was a young woman who possessed violet hair and similar colored eyes and was outfitted with heavy looking armor.

"Lowe! Noah!" Elsword called out to them as Lowe pulled his sword from the ground.

"Elsword, get Aisha to the medics, they should be able to help her. We will handle this." Noah's voice was cold and commanding as she continued to stare at the two elves, not once taking her eyes off them.

"Uh… Right! Yes Ma'am!" He quickly saluted, hoisted Aisha to her feet and slung her arm over his shoulder, running off to the rear of the human lines.

Lowe watched them as they retreated and gave a sigh of relief when they disappeared behind the wreckage.

"Now then… you both look pretty strong. Mind if we have your names?" He looked at the elves that had not budged from where they stood.

Both of their eyes narrowed threateningly, but they nodded to each other and then spoke.

"I am Amelia, Grand Archer of Hom, The Wind Shooter."

"And I am Lime, Wind Sneaker of Hom, The Green Forest Ranger."

"Wonderful names. I am Lowe, Lord Knight of Ruben, Captain of Red Knight Squad Six." Lowe then nodded to Noah, who continued to glower at the elves.

"And I am Noah, Elemental Master of the Velder Imperial Guard, The Ice Princess." She seethed.

"Was that girl someone you knew?" Amelia questioned the two. "She is far too young to be here on the battlefield. She does not need to be bathed in blood."

"Oh I know. But I will make sure she goes home. And I would love to see you elves try to take her life." Noah glared as the air around her chilled and the grass at her feet froze over.

At this threatening gesture, wind began to swirl around Amelia and Lime as it picked up small pieces of debris and dirt.

Lowe settled into his combat stance and his eyes became as cold as steel.

"Let's begin."

* * *

As Erendris withdrew his blade, Erendil, from the head of the nasod defender, sparks and golden oil sputtered from the hole as the sentient machine fell to the floor. The male elf flicked the shining liquid from the weapon before sheathing it in one smooth motion. He then quickly scanned the immediate area. The rest of the team of Night Savers, which composed of Trapping Rangers, was cleaning up the remaining nasod forces. He, unfortunately, had lost three rangers to the combat robots that they encountered on their way to the core. He would ensure that their sacrifice would not be in vain.

He and his team were already only a couple of levels above the core. If they continued at their current pace, they would be able to take over the island's automated defenses in less than an hour. He motioned for the team to continue advancing.

It took only one minute for the Night Savers and their leader to reach the lift that would take them to the next level. Erendris stepped onto the elevator first and checked for traps. There were none on the lift. He gave his squad the all clear and they piled onto the contraption as Erendris set its destination to the next floor. He felt the floor lurch as the machine began to descend.

The lift made it halfway to the next level when all of a sudden it heaved again. Erendris's eyes narrowed with concern. _We should not be there, yet. What was - . _He was not allowed to finish his thought when a scarlet blade erupted from his feet.

He reacted immediately by leaping away as the blade began to move to the front of the lift, bifurcating the platform.

"Everyone! Jump the rest of the way down, now!" He commanded his elven brethren as he sprung to the next level thirty meters down. Erendris skillfully flipped through the air and then cushioned his landing with a gust of wind, landing gently on his feet as he spun around to check on the status of the his team. The other seventeen Trapping Rangers touched down on the steel floor without incident as the platform they were standing on moments ago was split in half and fell down the seemingly endless shaft.

Then Erendris saw something streaking through the air. It looked like a red comet falling down from the ceiling. It finally landed fifteen meters in front of him and his team, shaking the floor from the impact. Now that it had stopped moving, Erendris could now confirm that it was a human woman. Her long, flowing crimson hair reached down to her waist and her presence invoked a sense of power and authority.

But most surprising was the claymore that rested on her shoulder. She was not particularly small, but it should not be possible for someone to wield a weapon that was larger than themselves. But this blade was just as big if not bigger than its wielder. That alone made Erendris' eyes narrow with worry.

"Whew… I finally caught up. Man that was a pretty good warm up." The woman spoke in a voice that was rough and gentle. A commander's voice, Erendris deduced.

"Sorry, don't have time to chat; I have to delay you until the rest of the Allied Human Forces can get here. Though, I probably should not have broken the lift then, huh? Oh well, nothing we can do about that now." She grinned while hefting the gargantuan blade from her shoulders and bringing it to her side and got into a combat stance.

She was gutsy, he would give her that much. To take on a squad of seventeen Trapping Rangers and a Night Watcher on her own meant that she was very confident in her skills or she was an idiot. Erendris guessed it was the former, seeing as she was the one apparently responsible for trashing the elevator. But again, it was one against eighteen, and it was an advantage that he would not waste.

"Night Savers, we don't have time to waste here. Surround and kill her." He issued his orders with cold purpose. The Trapping Rangers sprang into action, sprinting into position. But as they got closer, the scarlet haired woman grinned.

"Come on now. You did not think that a lady such as me would not have an escort."

Without further warning, the walls on either side of the lone warrior opened, and two giants strode out. Erendris cursed under his breath. He knew of these two titans, Ignis and Leviathan, the Elemental Nasod Twins. Their featureless golden visors turned to the rangers and they charged the elves. The Trapping Rangers faltered in front of this new enemy as they looked to the Night Watcher for instructions.

"Rangers, change of plans. Focus on these two nasods, divide yourselves as needed and act on your own if necessary. I will take on the crimson maiden!" Erendris revised his strategy in a fraction of a second. The Night Savers nodded in confirmation as they spread out to engage the two hulking machines.

Erendris unsheathed Erendril and readied his bow, wasting no time in engaging the red haired woman.

"TRAPPING ARROW!" He conjured a twig filled with nature's wrath at lightning speed and fired it at his opponent, a spiral of wind being left in its wake.

"Whoa!" The crimsonette leaped over the arrow with a speed that seemed to disregard the massive sword she was carrying. She then hefted her claymore behind her back before engulfing it in a red aura.

"My turn! SABER – EXTINCTION!" She swung the massive blade through the air in front of her and loosed a wave of scarlet destruction towards the Night Watcher.

Erendris clicked his tongue, sliding under the blast as it struck the spot where he stood moments ago and he sprinted towards the female warrior. She had just landed when Erendris fired off two more twigs, albeit smaller than the last one he shot, as he ran toward her with Erendil brandished. The lady knight dashed forward, evading the twigs with very slight movements and brought her great sword down in front of her. Erendris darted closer and locked the hilt of her weapon with his own blade.

The Night Watcher was surprised at the human's strength. He was considered to be among the strongest elves in terms of physical strength and he was taller than the woman before him by at least half a head. Yet, despite how close he was to the fulcrum of her swing, he could still feel himself being pushed back. He put more power behind his sword and the two finally came to a deadlock.

"Wow, you're pretty beefy. That must make you the leader of this squad of rangers then. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Elesis Sieghart, Grand Master of Velder, Captain of Red Knight Squad Four." She flashed the elf a fierce smile.

"The Crimson Storm? I have heard much about you. I am honored that we get to meet on the battlefield. I am Erendris, Night Watcher of Hom, Leader of the Night Savers." Erendris' face never faltered from its cold and calculating gaze as he looked into Elesis' red orbs with his green eyes.

"Alright then… What do you say that we take the gloves off now, Erendris?"

"If you insist, Elesis Sieghart."

* * *

Lowe evaded yet another volley of arrows from the elf called Amelia as he dug his sword into the ground. As the other elf, Lime, dashed towards him with her legs glowing with the power of nature he swung the blade embedded in the earth, unleashing a curtain of dirt that obscured Lime's vision.

The short haired elf stopped short now that she lost sight of the knight. Suddenly, her left ear twitched in response to a temperature change. She dropped to her knees as a ball of ice flew over her head. Lime then turned her head in the direction from which the chilly attack came from.

There stood Noah, The Ice Princess, and the air surrounding her was filled with frost. Lowe then darted to her side, long sword at the ready.

"We are not really getting anywhere…" The knight captain whispered to the armored mage.

"Those two are very much in sync with each other. We need to disrupt their rhythm somehow…" Noah quietly spoke.

"Hey now, whispering amongst yourselves in the middle of a fight can be dangerous." The two were interrupted by the skirt wearing elf as she slid across the ground towards the pair.

Lowe immediately responded by blocking her legs with the flat of his sword and shoving her away. However, as the elf was countered, a smirk appeared on her face, and a flurry of magic arrows arced over the human and elf as they closed in on Noah. _So that was it. _Amelia used the opening created by Lime to take a shot at the mage.

But the elf's attempt was in vain as the arrows struck a barrier that surrounded The Ice Princess and were shattered before they could reach her.

"Alright then, our turn." The air around the human woman swirled and formed a symbol that looked like a snowflake. "BLIZZARD SHOWER!"

Without warning, the sky above the magician let loose numerous shards of ice and they rocketed towards the two elves.

"Tch. GUIDE ARROW!" Amelia was stunned for a moment at the show of power before she brought her bow up and released three large arrows that homed in on the falling chunks of ice. The arrows impacted the shower of frozen water and destroyed several of the shards, but many still made it through her attack and some were heading in Lime's direction.

"Lime!" Amelia cried out to her friend who had just recovered from her clash with the Red Knight Captain.

"Don't worry!" The short haired elf preformed a bicycle kick and enhanced it with wind magic, creating a powerful wall of wind that broke the fragments of sharpened ice that threatened to skewer her. Just as she landed, Lime then noticed that the man called Lowe was in a stance that looked like he was going to thrust his blade. _But what can he do at that range?_

Lime's question was answered in the next couple seconds.

"ARMAGEDDON BLADE!" Lowe released the power within him and focused it on his sword, summoning an aura in the shape of a blade five meters long. Lime rolled to the side to avoid the spectral weapon as it pierced the space she had occupied only seconds ago.

Then the armored wizard began chanting a new spell and frost started collecting on her steel covered feet.

"FROST STEP!" Suddenly, Noah's boots emitted miniature snow storms that froze the ground that it was in contact with.

Now that they had augmented themselves, Lowe and Noah broke into a run and closed the distance between the two female elves, with Lowe's now massive blade carving the earth as he ran and a trail of ice following Noah.

Lime looked to Amelia and their eyes met. In that instant they formed a plan and then acted on it. Lime leaped into the air above the two humans, gathering a small wind storm around her before she dived into the ground feet first.

"SHARP FALL!" Upon her landing, an incredible shock wave emanated from the impact point, stunning the two humans. Amelia did not waste the chance.

"AERO TORNADO!" She flipped into the air and released a small sphere of condensed wind at her targets.

Lowe recovered from the shock of the Wind Sneaker's assault first and saw the unassuming orb of wind. _Damn! This is not going to end well._ His thoughts ran through his mind as he checked on Noah's condition. She would not make it. She could barely keep her balance after the previous elf's attack.

So Lowe acted quickly. He dove into the female magician, pushing her away. Not a moment later, the tiny sphere of wind exploded and engulfed the knight. Noah landed outside the storm of destruction as her eyes went wide with shock.

"LOWE!"

* * *

Things were not looking good for Erendris and his Night Savers. Ignis and Leviathan had taken out six more of his rangers by burning them alive or freezing them solid then shattering their immobilized bodies. However, it was not like the elves were not doing any damage. The nasod twins' visors were cracked and had several damaged sections in their armor. There were even a couple of cuts across their bodies that leaked golden oil as they continued to swing their massive arms.

But the issue was that they were being delayed, and being delayed a lot. If this continued, Erendris knew the regular human forces would catch up to them and crush them before the rangers could reach the core and the mission to take the floating island would fail.

It was becoming less of an invasion operation and more of a struggle to survive as time progressed. These next few moments would tip the scales of the battle one way or another.

He focused on the red haired knight, Elesis, and charged her position. She swung her claymore horizontally at his head, but he slid under the blade and began a brutal assault on the Grand Master.

"FURIOUS ENGAGE!" The female knight was struck with a flurry of kicks and slashes from Erendil as her red blood sprayed onto the floor. But she did not fall; rather the fire in her eyes intensified.

"SONIC BLADE! This time Erendris could not evade her massive blade as two crescent slashes connected with his body. He was, however, able to retreat enough that the blows did not cut too deep, but his life's blood still stained the ground crimson as it leaked from the resulting injuries.

The two commanders had been matching each other blow for blow. He would land a hit and then she would strike him. She would connect one of her attacks and he would respond in kind. They might as well have been taking turns landing hits on each other until one of them succumbed. But neither would give any ground.

"Yeah… you are just as tough as you look… I have not had a fight like this in a long while…" Elesis panted, complimenting her opponent.

"You as well… You are truly a worthy opponent… This is a duel that I thought only occurred in one's dreams…" Erendris breathed back at the crimson head.

He could see in her eyes that she was ready to end this fight. So he would have to meet it with equal fervor. They stared each other down for a few more seconds as the sounds of battle between the twins and the rangers rang around them.

Then Elesis pushed off her back foot and dashed towards the Night Watcher, her gargantuan blade ready to swing. But Erendris leapt backwards as he prepared several twigs on his bow, and after taking aim on the Grand Master, he unleashed a storm of the small branches at her.

"GLIDING STRIKE!" But just before the attack landed, Elesis began to spin around like a top with her sword outstretched, building up power for a titanic swing as she met the assault head on.

"JUGGERNAUT BUSTER!" The two attacks collided and a massive pressure wave erupted from the contact point, causing the rangers and nasods to cease their engagement for a moment.

As the dust cleared, one could make out two figures. Both were on their knees and out of breath. Elesis and Erendris were barely able to stand after such a catastrophic clash. Erendris swayed back and forth as he struggled to his feet and Elesis used her claymore to help support herself as she stood. They were both covered in lacerations and bruises and now were at their limits.

"Wanna… go… another round...?" Elesis forced out the words in between her gulps of air as her eyes drooped from exhaustion.

"… I think… I may… be up for that…" Erendris was in no better shape, his broad chest heaving with each breath and his limbs shaking with each movement.

He now realized that it would not be possible to continue on. He and this knight would likely kill each other and his squad would fall apart without his leadership. And with the clock ticking away it was very likely that the rest of the enemy forces would catch up to the rest of his team and wipe them out.

So Erendris did the one thing that no one expected.

"Night Savers, retreat! Use your _geoul_!" His squad stared at him slack jawed but they quickly complied. They all, Erendris included, withdrew some kind of hand held mirror and threw them on the floor. But instead of shattering like normal glass, the objects exploded in a flash of light, engulfing the elves in columns of white rays. When the light faded the rangers were gone.

"They fled… I guess this means mission accomplished?" Elesis let herself fall on her rear in fatigue. Ignis and Leviathan stomped to her side and helped gently lift the wounded Grand Master in their massive hands. After they confirmed her health, they wordlessly moved to the metal wall that bordered the blood and oil spattered corridor. At their approach, the wall opened revealing a lift. The two nasods carefully set Elesis down before stepping back out and bowing to her.

"Thanks… Get yourselves fixed up. I will do the same." Elesis spoke to the twins sweetly as the doors to the lift closed and it began to ascend.

* * *

The fierce wind from Amelia's attack finally subsided and everyone present was surprised. There was Lowe, bleeding from several cuts on his body and face, alive. He was on his knees and was supporting his upper body with his sword. As he struggled to his feet Lime sprang into action, dashing towards the injured knight.

"Amelia, cover me! I'll finish him off!" Amelia was taken aback by her companion's sudden aggression but she knew this was a good opportunity to take out the human commander. Noah reacted by chanting another spell, but she was too slow. The Green Forest Ranger was already close enough.

"SLIDE DOUBLE KICK!" Lime slid across the earth towards the immobile Lowe, kicking up the dirt as she went and then…

She missed.

"Eh?" The Wind Sneaker did not understand. She was right on the money, but she still somehow went off course. Then she felt a chill on her legs and butt that were on the ground. She looked and it finally made sense. _Ice?! I slid on the ice?! Was this from that last spell that mage performed?!_ Lime's thoughts were panicked as she heard the cold voice of the magician.

"ICEBERG!" Noah finished her preparations and slammed her staff into the ground, causing an enormous mass of ice to erupt from beneath Lime.

_Crap! I can't evade it!_ Lime did not want to become a popsicle, but she was unable to move how she wanted on the slippery surface.

"HUMMING WIND!" Suddenly, a blast of wind flung Lime from the center of the attack. But the frost still engulfed the left side of her body from her left toe to her shoulder, completely immobilizing her.

"Cold cold cold!" Lime cried out in pain as the freezing of the ice felt like daggers being driven into her body.

Fortunately, her free arm still carried her bow, so she took aim at the ice sculpture and fired of an arrow infused with wind. This shattered her frozen prison and allowed her to escape, sort of. After freeing herself she lost all feeling in her left leg and arm, and she dropped to the ground awkwardly as she tried to jump away.

"Lime! Are you okay!?" Amelia ran to her side, her eyes filled with concern.

"I think I got frostbite from that attack. I can't feel the left side of my body." Lime squeezed out the words from her throat that was still stinging from the icy assault. It seemed that her vital organs did not suffer, but she could not fight in her condition. Then a familiar voice reached Amelia and Lime's pointed ears.

"What say you we call it a draw? I don't think any of us here wants to die." Lowe had struggled to his feet, using his sword as a tool to help him stand. His mouth spat red blood onto the grass as he spoke.

"Lowe! You're okay?" Noah sprinted to him as she slung his arm over her shoulder and lifted him up.

"Are you sure, human? What if we want to continue this?" Amelia questioned, her voice dripping venom as she helped Lime to her feet.

"Well, if we keep going do you think that you can protect your friend and fight off this wizard at the same time?" Lowe presented his next question as though he already knew the answer. Amelia glared at the knight for a few tense moments before speaking again.

"… No. I do not think myself to be omnipotent. But do I have your word that your companion will not attack us as we retreat?" Amelia's delicate brow furrowed.

"Only if we can get that same guarantee from you." Lowe smiled, revealing his blood-stained teeth. Amelia looked to Lime and nodded her head after a couple of seconds.

"Very well, I will hold you to that." And with that, the Grand Archer backed away while supporting her friend, slowly turning around and never once taking her eyes off the two humans. Finally, when she had her back completely towards them, she glanced once more in their direction before pushing off with her powerful elven legs and jumped away. Moments later, the two elves disappeared behind the trees surrounding the field.

"Are you sure about that, Lowe? We could have captured them and interrogated them, you know?" Noah looked at the knight with worry.

"I am. Did you really want to fight them that badly?" Lowe lifted his head and faced the purple haired mage as he showed a small smile.

"… Good point. Honestly, I don't think I could have protected you while fighting that Grand Archer anyways. Let's get you to the field hospital. You look terrible." Noah then began gathering mana to teleport the two to the rear lines.

"As long as my hair is still in one piece, I am good." Lowe showed one last mischievous grin as they vanished from sight.

* * *

Amongst the sounds of battle, one could still make out the humming of the engines of The Spirit of Motherwill. It was now a mere fifty meters from being at the same altitude as the floating island and it was still descending.

Rena glared at the warship as though she could sink it with just an angry stare. If it was descending, then it was probably unable to stay airborne for too long. That was fine with her. That meant it would not be able to inflict more damage on her brethren.

"Grand Archer Rena, all of us are in position. We wait for your command." A male Sniping Ranger cautiously walked to her and saluted.

"Thank you. We will commence the attack soon." Rena finally tore her sight away from the airship as she informed her subordinate callously. The ranger took an unconscious step backward in surprise at her mood. Normally, the archer would be cheery and bright no matter where she was, but now… the smile and bright eyes that everyone knew her for was gone, replaced by a frightening scowl and cold, emotionless eyes.

As the ranger left for his post, Rena looked upon the small army of humans on the Altera fields.

"Get ready, humans. I will show you my wrath; the wrath of The Valkyrie of Hom."

* * *

Meanwhile, a lone figure stood on the deck of The Spirit of Motherwill. He gazed over the battleground and a crazed smile crept onto his face.

"Alright… time for the Beast of Velder to cut loose again." Raven clenched his left fist and leapt off the deck, streaking towards the ground as a black meteor.

* * *

**And there it is, chapter seven of "Boundaries." I tried to jump back and forth between the confrontations of Elesis versus Erendris and Lowe and Noah versus Lime and Amelia. I hope it turned out okay. But you can help me figure that out by... *pause for effect* REVIEWING. Yes, if you Read and Review and tell me it was great, great! If you tell me it was terrible, still great. That just means I have to work on it until it is... well, great. So again, please Read and Review, because more reviews equal more motivation for me which then leads to faster updates. However, final exams are coming up so I have to study. I will update when I can, though. Also, _geoul _means "mirror" in Korean. I hope for your continued support of this story! Until next time!**


	8. A Stormy Clash

**Ok, readers, this will be my last update for a while. Finals are right around the corner and I need to study. So here is the second half of the Battle of Altera. Only thing I have to recommend is listening to ACVD Blue Magnolia at the section with the *. Sorry Zarosguth, I asked for your opinion and I went with the other instead. Anyways, enjoy this installment of "Boundaries!"**

* * *

"Someone bring me bandages and disinfectant!"

"You will be fine! Just stay with me!"

"Put pressure on the wound! We have to stop the bleeding!"

These were just some of the cries that reached Elsword's ears as he walked into the field hospital, its only noticeable feature being the large white tent, with Aisha hanging on his shoulder. Nurses were running here and there between the beds, caring for each patient as quickly as possible and prioritizing the serious wounds. Soldiers, men and women alike, were lying on red stained white portable cots, each with a different injury than the one next to them.

Some had superficial wounds and were either being patched up or were already tended to and were proceeding back out into the dark Altera fields. On the other hand, there were many who bore more grievous injuries. There was a man whose chest was filled with so many bloody holes that the young knight wondered why they even brought him here; he was likely already passed on or was about to. There was also female soldier with a crimson socket where her left eye used to be and she screamed in pain as the nurse pressed a gauze pad over the gap.

Elsword turned his focus away from the grisly scene and brought it to the purple haired mage.

"Aisha, you might not want to look… Just… keep your eyes closed. I will tell you when to open them." He spoke gently to her, but he could still feel his voice shaking slightly.

The little magician only nodded and hung her head as she closed her eyes, but she could not stop the frantic shouts of the medical staff from reaching her ears. She did her best to shut out the panicked cries as Elsword led her through the field hospital.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, she felt the knight remove her from his shoulders and sat her down on… something. Then she heard the sliding of curtains and the boy calling for one of the nurses.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now." At Elsword's cue she opened her violet orbs and saw only clean white sheets hanging from a steel frame and the boy that brought her there. She found herself sitting on a cot with a spotless white sheet and pillow.

"Someone is coming to check on you in just a bit. How are you feeling?" The red head inquired with a worried look as he crouched to bring his eye level to hers.

"I still feel… sick..." She squeezed the words out of her dry throat. The world seemed to be spinning around her and her stomach still felt like it was doing backflips.

Suddenly, the curtains were drawn open and a field medic strode in and quickly turned to close them again. After she turned back around, Aisha could see the blood stains on her white uniform and felt another wave of nausea start to rise again.

She bent over and brought her hands to her mouth as her body heaved. Elsword quickly placed his hands on her shoulders, confused because he did not know what to do to help.

"Lieutenant, go get some clean water from the supply that we brought." The nurse looked over the tiny wizard with a trained eye and came up with a diagnostic. Elsword looked at the nurse worriedly for a moment before nodding his head and dashing out of the "room."

"Miss… Aisha, right? How do you feel right now?" The nurse probed Aisha with a typical question to confirm her diagnostic. Aisha managed to force down the vomit and spoke from her aching throat.

"I feel like I am going to throw up… My head… it feels like it is spinning…" She described her symptoms as best as she could, but when her eyes fell on the scarlet stains on the apron, she once again felt like puking. But this time, she could not stop it.

Fortunately, the medic noticed the predicament and grabbed the tin waste can and handed it to the mage. Aisha took it gratefully as the sickly yellow substance finally burst from her mouth and into the can. She coughed as she felt the burning sensation of stomach acid coating her esophagus.

Not a moment later, Elsword burst through the drapes with a bucket of water and a ladle.

"Aisha! Are you okay!?" He set down the container and ran to her side, his red eyes drowning in concern.

"I feel a little better after letting it all out…" The purplenette sheepishly grinned before she assaulted by another barrage of dry heaves. Elsword froze in bewilderment for a moment, but then he reached for the water bucket and scooped some of the liquid with the ladle and brought it to Aisha's face.

"Here, drink this. It should help." He gently spoke to her as she lifted her head groggily. She nodded and placed her lips on the large scoop and Elsword tipped it to empty the water into her mouth. The cooling sensation felt good as the liquid flowed down her throat, easing the burning from the acid.

The nurse nodded in satisfaction. "I think you can take care of her now Lieutenant. Just give us a call if you need anything else." She gently smiled and strode out of the "sick room."

Now the two were left alone in silence. Elsword would scoop up the water from the bucket and bring it Aisha's mouth, and she would drink it. This repeated several times before Aisha broke the silence.

"Elsword… Am I weak?" The question itself was simple. But the magician's insecurities became more than apparent from that little question. Elsword paused with the ladle hanging from his hand and in the water bucket.

"Of course you're not weak, Aisha. You saved me out there. If not for you I would probably have a few holes in – "

"That's not what I meant." The swordsman started to reassure the mage when she interrupted him. He looked at her small face and saw her eyes fixated on the ground. The Lord Knight could only sigh.

"You know, I blew chunks when I killed my first elf, too." The amethyst eyes that were staring at the ground shifted their focus to the young knight in front of them and they saw a nervous smile. "I remember that day so clearly. A year ago, we were smoking out some elven raiders near the North West border of Velder. The elf was a female and she looked about as old as my sister. She had already been injured by one of the Magic Knights in our squad and had burns all over the right side of her body. But, even with those injuries, she tried to shoot an arrow into the back of one of my squad mates. I blocked the arrow and thrust my sword into her chest. Her face… for a moment I forgot that she was of another race… her green eyes were wide with fear as the light faded from them. I can still remember what she said as her blood spilled onto the ground. 'I don't want to die…' I never felt sicker in my life. I just keeled over and vomited for hours. Taking a life… is not enjoyable. But, after doing it so many times I just got used to it. However, even now I still feel a pit in my stomach each time I cut an elf. Now though, I just ignore it and continue on. It is normal to feel like this." His vermillion eyes met hers as he recounted his experiences.

Aisha felt strangely closer to the boy now. He, despite his position as a soldier, still felt like that. So she was not the only one who felt sick to her stomach amongst all this blood and gore. Unconsciously, she stretched out her arms and pulled his head into an embrace. He shuddered at this sudden change, but eventually he let out a breath as he allowed the girl to hold his head.

"Thank you… Elsword…" She whispered the words as the sobs began to surface.

"Anytime, Aisha…" The red head softly returned the hug. They stayed that way for a while when…

"I think I am going to hurl again…"

"AH! NO! Not on my head! Not on my head!"

* * *

"Rangers! We got a squad advancing on our three o'clock!" At his warning, five of the Sniping Rangers under Radis' command turned in that direction and let loose a volley of magic arrows towards the group of eight humans that sprang from their cover one hundred meters away. This response forced the enemy soldiers to retreat back behind the stones that served as their cover as to avoid being turned into pincushions.

Radis looked over the open fields with his elfish eyes. The elves had dug into the forest that bordered the fields and were letting loose barrage after barrage of arrows at the humans who were scattered about in the three hundred meter diameter clearing. The humans were advancing slowly from cover to cover, and those Red Knights occasionally fired fireballs and blazing runes. Despite the advantageous position they had, Radis was noticing that the humans were advancing slowly. Not only that, the elves had lost about twenty of their comrades when the giant enemy battleship shot down their airships before they could touch down.

A rune of heat flew through the air and struck one of his rangers and they briefly burst into flames before the fire dissipated and the blackened corpse dropped to the ground. Radis clicked his tongue in frustration and fired his own volley of arrows into the midst of the human lines. The Red Knight responsible for killing his brethren dove to side to avoid the barrage of projectiles, but one of the arrows found his leg and buried itself in the limb briefly before it vanished, completely its duty.

The arrows that the elves used were only composed of magic and as such when they struck something, they remained for only a moment before fading away. This made these projectiles all the more dangerous, because being struck with one meant that the wound would remain open and the risk of bleeding out and infection was greater.

The Red Knight limped back behind the piece of debris to his comrades as they deflected the follow up arrows that rained down on him. Radis's squad was still in relatively good health, with only about four of his rangers, including the one from a moment ago, had fallen to the humans. But they were doing what they were supposed to do: stall. They had to stall the humans here to give the Night Savers time to take control of the island. And the fact that they did not need physical projectiles to fire made it all the more easier.

His rangers would rotate between laying down suppressive fire on the human lines while others collected the mana in the air. This cycle allowed the elves to fight at range for long periods of time and if they were allowed to entrench themselves they could use their range to keep up an endless barrage. And with Irha's squad performing just as well as his, things were looking pretty good on their end, Radis only hoped that Erendris and his Night Savers would hurry up and that Rena's team would commence their surprise attack soon.

Then he saw the humans start to retreat. _Why are they retreating? They were not sustaining heavy losses. _ His thoughts were then interrupted by a glint on the opposite side of the island.

It was the titanic airship and it was about to descend below the plane of the island. But what he noticed was the giant cannons on the front deck.

They were aimed at his and his squad's position.

"Everyone! Scatter! Move move!" He broke into a run as his squad dispersed into the trees.

But it was all in vain as the cannons flashed and three five hundred millimeter rounds rocketed through the air just forty meters off the ground. Then they struck the area where Radis and his squad were, throwing up the earth and uprooting trees as the shells reaped destruction on the small forest.

After the dust cleared, all that was left of Radis and his squad was a crater fifty meters in diameter and Radis' Grand Archer bow jutting from the ground.

* * *

Rena cursed to herself as she watched the airship blow away Radis and his team. She had been waiting for the humans to group up to advance before she commenced her attack. After she broke their lines, then Radis and Irha's squads would have launched their own assault and would have completely broken the human lines.

But that airship… that gargantuan battleship ruined everything! The titan had come from nowhere and wrought havoc on her comrades. Because of that ship, the elves' plan to take the island was completely shot. Now it finally sunk below the island, but it had taken more lives than what she could tolerate.

The humans were now rallying with the elven defenders broken and pushing across the dark fields. Rena glared at the human lines with a fire in her green eyes and turned away to face her own squad of rangers.

"Rangers, prepare to attack. Aim for the front of the human lines and halt their advance." She spoke in a voice as cold as ice. As if in response to her mood, the sky darkened with storm clouds and the rain that they contained began to fall. The archers saluted to her and then sprinted to the edge of the cliff that they used to gain elevation and to hide from the human forces. Once they were in position, they readied their bows and took aim at the front of the human ranks and then waited for Rena's command. They did not have to wait long in the freezing rain that began to fall even harder.

"Archers, FIRE!" Rena shouted her command to the twenty rangers and then they all let loose a rain of arrows that soared through the air and fell upon the enemy forces with the rain.

The projectiles found their mark and many of the soldiers at the front dropped to the ground with several magical arrows in their bodies. The remaining humans abruptly stopped when they saw their allies fall and they all looked up to the source of the enemy fire. The Red Knights, who managed to come out from the attack relatively unscathed, began shouting in panic as they attempted to reform their lines.

But then another volley of arrows flew from the opposite side of the field, from Irha and her squad. The projectiles mercilessly pierced the bodies of more soldiers, sending them to the ground bleeding.

Rena felt a sadistic grin creep onto her delicate face as the rain slid down it. It felt good, to be the one inflicting the pain. Is this what those humans on board that ship felt as they slaughtered her brethren? Is this the feeling that the man with the claw felt when he was mudering her friends?

It felt good… so good. She ordered her squad to continue the attack. Every arrow she fired at the humans was filled with the pain and rage that she had bottled up inside her. Now they would feel it... her wrath.

"Archers, prepare another barrage!" She called out to her comrades and they once again prepared another simultaneous attack. She brought her own bow to the ready, conjuring more arrows, and held at the ready for only one more moment.

"FIRE!"

Once more, a rain of arrows streaked across the sky to the human ranks and they could do nothing. The Red Knights shouted to their comrades to shield themselves as the projectiles got closer… and closer.

Then a shadow dashed in front of the path of the onslaught.

"GUARDIAN STRIKE!" A cross shaped explosion erupted from the shadow and engulfed the arrows, destroying them before they could reach their destination.

"What the –. " Her rangers were shocked at the sudden appearance of such strength and only stared in awe.

_That attack… It's HIM!_ Her delicate eyebrows came crashing down on her green eyes, now flaring in anger and excitement. If he was here, then she had yet another target for her vengeance.

* * *

Raven had made it to the battlefield just in time. Apparently, after his allies rallied to charge the hillside after The Spirit of Motherwill opened the way for them, another squad of elven wretches launched a surprise attack on their flanks and broke apart their lines. The Red Knights had just barely managed to keep the regular forces from completely falling apart, but the next volley probably would have sealed their fates. He had barely managed to halt the attack and break the elves momentum.

He scanned over what remained his allies. Fifteen men and women laid dead on the muddy ground and another twenty five were injured to varying degrees. But, as expected, the Red Knights of Squads Six and Four were still standing, tired, but uninjured.

"Can you continue your advance?" Raven questioned the Red Knight closest to him.

"Yes we can, but with the elves raining fire on us from that ridge, we will continue taking losses." The knight did not even hesitate in his response and gave the Reckless Fist his analysis of the situation. Raven did not delay his response.

"Then keep advancing. I will take out the elves on the ridge." Raven clenched his left fist and reaffirmed his grip on his black blade as a streak of lightning split the sky.

"Understood. Good luck, Raven." The Red Knight nodded to him and turned back to the remaining soldiers and explained the situation. The warriors acknowledged the knight and reformed their lines and proceeded to advance up the field towards the forest.

Raven, on the other hand, looked to the ridge and could make out the shapes of the elves up on the elevation. He grinned to himself before pushing off his back foot and charged them, his maniacal roar cutting through the thunder.

"Here I come you reprobates!"

* * *

Rena saw the man with the demonic arm charging the ledge that she and her squad were situated on. It seemed that the main force was going to ignore them and that man would intercept them. Her thoughts went to what had happened to Ruben Forest.

No… he would not just intercept them… he would kill them and would do it without mercy or hesitation. The rage that had occupied her mind before was now overtaken by fear; fear that he would take more of her comrades' lives while she could do nothing.

Not a chance. This time she was not being ambushed. This time she would stop him.

She would kill him… for her friends that he butchered and for their families who would never see them again.

"Rangers, retreat and link up with Irha's squad. We cannot afford to lose anyone else. I will hold off this beast!" She shouted her orders to the team and gave them no time to argue and she leaped down from the ledge to the ground twenty meters below and splashed water at her landing. Her squad of archers stared at her for a moment before acknowledging the order.

"_Al gess seub ni da_!" They then backed away from the cliff and made their way to Irha and her squad's position.

*****The man was still eighty meters away. _Good… Let's see if you can get any closer demon!_ Rena brought her bow to the ready.

"GUIDE ARROW!" She let loose four crimson arrows that flew through the sky and homed in on the man.

He never broke his stride as he summoned four black javelins that seemed to come from that frightening left arm of his.

"ARCHENEMY!" He swiped his claw and the javelins shot out from behind him and impacted the arrows, and in a brilliant explosion, destroyed them. The warrior continued to sprint towards the Grand Archer, now sixty meters away.

_So he still has some tricks up his sleeve. Well, so do I!_ Rena concentrated her magic into the center of her elegant bow and an arrow as large as her appeared. Normally, this attack would be used to break down barricades and split formations, but now was not the time to be picky. She back flipped high into the air and aimed the bolt of wind at her target.

"AERO STRAFE!" She fired the massive arrow and it streaked towards the man.

Finally, he halted before the assault, but not out of fear. Rena could see him draw his black and red claw back and a scarlet glow engulfed it.

"WILD CHARGE!" The demon charged forward and threw an earth shattering punch, meeting her attack head on.

The two skills collided and for a brief moment they were at an impasse. But then, Rena's arrow gave way and exploded violently, creating an area around the man where the rain was forced away and the charging man and his fist rushed forward, kicking up mud in their wake.

_Damn! He is just plowing through my attacks. I guess I have to get creative._ Rena wiped away the water that flowed into her eyes and she fired off a volley of arrows. The man did not even flinch as he side stepped the barrage and continued to advance on the elf's position. Once more she fired more arrows at the warrior and this time he vanished, like at Ruben, and reappeared a few meters from his original position.

Forty meters.

Now Rena did something unexpected. She moved toward the man who was trying to kill her. After taking a few steps forward, she crouched down and imbued her magic into the muddy earth. She looked up from her brief task to see that her enemy was now twenty meters away, close enough that she could see the maddening golden glow of his eyes through the rain. She fired off more arrows at him and he still evaded them.

Ten meters.

Suddenly, the man in black leapt through the air and flew at the elf, fist first. But that was what she wanted him to do.

At the last moment she leapt back and unleashed a small storm in front of her.

"WIND WALL!" The magic vortex pulled the man into its slashing winds and then an explosion of leaves erupted from beneath him. The trap she had set was perfect. She took this moment to retreat farther from him and backed up another fifty meters parallel to the cliff face. This put her only about thirty meters from the edge of the island. But this was all the distance she needed. She turned around to face the helpless man and brought her bow to the ready, taking aim on his spinning body, and fired off another salvo of arrows.

But just before they reached him…

"VALKYRIE'S JAVELIN!" The man once more summoned several black javelins, but this time they were bigger and there were six of them. Three crashed into Rena's combo trap and destroyed it while the remaining weapons shot through the rain and annihilated her arrows. One of the javelins broke through her attack, forcing the elf to leap out of the way as it exploded on the ground in front of her, kicking up mud and sod.

Now free from his stormy prison, the man spurred forward again with grim purpose and she could see the crazed grin on his scarred face.

_I knew he was strong, but this is ridiculous! I did not want to use this but I do not see any other options._ She gathered her magic into her bow and pointed it to the storm clouds above her.

* * *

Raven sprinted though the rain and he noticed that the elf he was facing was pointing her bow up into the sky. That pose must mean she was preparing for a really powerful attack. He had already fallen prey to her trap and suffered a few cuts her and there. Though his injuries were not substantial, he did not want to risk anything else.

If she was going for a big spell, then he would bust out his own. His left arm twitched as it summoned a fat nasod spear and levitated it behind him. Under normal circumstances, this attack would be for annihilating divisions, but this elf deserved to see it, seeing as how much of pain in the ass it was to fight her.

_Bring it on, wretch!_

* * *

Rena had now finished her preparations and saw that her opponent too had readied something of their own. It looked like those javelins from before, but it just as big as him and very fat. It did not look pleasant.

But her next spell was not particularly pleasant, either.

Finally, she released the magic that she had stored.

"GUNGNIR!" She fired an arrow into the sky laced with lightning and a rift split open, with six regal spears falling out of it. This was Rena's signature attack, a wide range spell of destruction that held the potential to wipe out entire divisions. Though the skill was meant to strike in a wide range, it did not take much for Rena to redirect the spears and aim them at a single point; the man with the demonic arm.

The spears streaked through the sky towards her target, leaving whirlwinds in their wake.

The man then launched his own attack.

"NUCLEAR!" The massive spear that he summoned was flung through the air by an unseen force and rocketed towards Rena's six lances.

The spears collided halfway between the two fighters and a massive shock wave was released, creating a sphere of dry air. Then after what seemed like ages, a sound reminiscent of metal scratching on metal resounded and an explosion of white light erupted from the contact point of the two attacks.

The light vigorously expanded as it engulfed the surrounding area and made its way towards Rena and her opponent.

"Wha –." Rena and the man barely had enough time to voice their surprise when the light swallowed them both, drowning out the thunder with a rumbling roar.

* * *

Amelia and Irha were tending to Lime's injuries when they saw the sky split. They saw the regal, winged spears fall from the hole in the clouds and they knew what it heralded.

"Is Rena really using Gungnir!? What would warrant the use of that attack!?" Amelia was shocked because she knew of the power of that spell. It was one of the few skills that she had not mastered as a Grand Archer. Rena was called The Valkyrie of Hom mostly because she was one of a handful of elves that had mastered the attack.

They all watched as the six emerald spears fell through the sky and met another lance, but this one was the color of grey steel and was very large. Time seemed to stop for a moment when, all of a sudden, an explosion of white light expanded out from the two skills.

"What in El's name…" Irha could only whisper those words as she stood dumbfounded.

Then the light began to shrink and it slowly revealed the result of the clash.

Nothing.

Where the light had expanded, it destroyed the very ground of the island, leaving a gaping one hundred meter diameter hole that opened into the sky below.

Rena was nowhere to be seen. Lime's face contorted with anguish and fear.

"Oh my El… RENA!"

* * *

Aisha had finally recovered from her nausea and she and Elsword were making their way to the frontlines when they saw a flash of brilliant light from the edge of the island. Elsword heard that Raven had taken to the field and was engaging elves near the end of Altera. So that must be where he is.

"Let's check it out, Aisha!" He called to the mage behind him as he climbed a small hill to see how Raven's engagement went. When he reached the crest of the hill, he stopped with his eyes going opening wide and his mouth hanging open.

"Hey, Elsword. What is it? Did Raven win?" Aisha ran to the red haired knight's side and followed his gaze. Her heart leaped into her throat at the sight.

There was nothing there. Only a massive gap where the ground used to be and Raven was gone. Elsword finally spoke, though it was only calling out his friend's name.

"Raven…? RAVEN!" His cry mixed with the roar of the thunder and was lost to howling winds.

* * *

**Hmmmmm... after looking at it now, it does not seem to be my best work. What do you all think? Terrible? Worse than terrible? Anyways, please Read and Review! Also a big shout out to Zarosguth and Half-Demon Cali who have been supporting this story from chapter 1 and 2. And another big thank you goes out to He-Jay, who wrote the story that inspired this fan fiction and for donating their time as a Beta-Reader! Well, time for me to go study now. But don't worry, we are not done, yet! I will see you all soon!**


	9. The Aftermath

**Hello again, readers! I would like to apologize for my lack of updates these past couple of weeks. But now I am all done with finals and am now on vacation! Yay! So last time we saw Rena and Raven clash once again and the conclusion of the fight, although cliche in my opinion, was uncertain. We now look to how both sides are holding up after a major confrontation. But what about Rena and Raven... well, I guess if you read you will find out... Enjoy!**

* * *

Aisha supported Elsword's limp body on her tiny shoulders as they returned to the field hospital. Both of them had been shocked at the hole that was clearly unnatural and Raven's sudden disappearance. It was as if that light had wiped out all traces of the Reckless Fist.

Elsword was pretty close with the veteran, so Raven's vanishing shook him up pretty badly. Aisha was pretty fond of the man with the weird arm as well, though not to the same scale as Elsword. So when the knight went limp with shock, it fell to Aisha to help him back to the field center.

Upon their arrival, Aisha saw a couple familiar faces... some in better shape than the others.

"Noah! Lowe!" She dropped the red head and he fell to the ground in a comical heap as the little mage ran to the side of her teacher and the Red Knight Captain who was lying on one of the sick beds. Noah looked fine for the most part, only her disheveled violet hair, dirt covered face and spots of blood on her armor suggesting otherwise.

Lowe on the other hand looked terrible. It looked like he had gotten into a fight with a cockatrigle and lost. He had crimson lacerations all over his body and face and his uniform had gashes running all along it. Dried blood caked the corners of his mouth and he grimaced as a nurse pressed gauze with disinfectant on a large cut on his chest.

"Ow ow ow, that stings!" The Lord Knight whined while trying to sound tough. He was not doing a good job of it.

"It stings because it is working Captain Lowe. Just bear with it for… all the other injuries you have."

"If you have the strength to complain then you are fine, Lowe." The grey haired knight winced at the rebuttals to his suffering from the nurse and Noah. Aisha let out a sigh of relief as Elsword came stomping up to the group, his eyes filled with annoyance.

"Hey grape head, mind warning me next time you plan on dropping me!?" The complaint rang throughout the tent and several heads turned to watch the scene unfold.

"What did you - ahem… _I am sorry_ _for dropping you_… ElMoron." Aisha's eyes narrowed as she mustered as much sarcasm as she could.

"What was that, short stack!? I am pretty sure you were just pretending to apologize just now. Let me hear a real apology!" The young warrior crossed his arms in frustration when a new voice cut through the sick bay.

"Keep it down, Lieutenant. Some people here are trying to rest." Elsword and Aisha looked to the source of this new voice and saw Elesis, or at least what Elesis would look like if she had just been fighting several bears bare handed. Elsword just stood there slack jawed as he stared at her injured form.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" The Grand Master cocked her bandaged head slightly.

"Do you have something on your face? Yeah, and on your… everywhere actually. What happened to you!?" Elsword threw his arms into the air as he shouted in disbelief of his sister's nonchalant attitude towards her own condition.

"Oh, just got into a scuffle with the Leader of the Night Savers... you know, those assassin-like elves. Just another day at work." The crimson haired maiden showed a mischievous grin.

"How can you just say that like it is no big deal!? What if you died, Elesis!?"

Elsword was now about to start tearing out his scarlet locks in irritation. Now it was Elesis' turn to be surprised. She knew better than to make her little brother worry and yet here he was, his head so full of concern he was probably about to explode.

"Els… Sorry… I did not want to make you worry, because… you know… a big sister has to be strong." She bit her lip as her red eyes fell on the white sheets that covered her. "I did not want you to see me as weak, but it looks like I made you worry instead. I am sorry…"

Elsword watched his sister as she hung her head in apology with a look of bewilderment of his own.

"No… no, I should know better than to worry about you, sis. But… I just don't want to be left alone again… like the last time you left." Tears began to collect in his rose colored eyes and his bottom lip quivered.

"Els… you are not crying, are you? You know that you should never cry in front of a lady." Elesis' frown suddenly turned into a smirk.

"I am not crying! Something just got in my eye…" Elsword denied the accusation quickly.

"Is there something else bothering you? You're not normally _this_ emotional." The Grand Master's eyes softened. Elsword shuddered at the seemingly harmless question.

"Els?" Elesis could see that he was shaking.

"It's Raven… he is – "

Suddenly, a Red Knight ran into the tent, nearly trampling Aisha over.

"Captain! The elves retreated!" The helmed man panted to the injured Grand Master. Elsword, having been interrupted, was snapped out of his sorrow. The Red Knight must have sprinted all the way from the battle front to the rear lines, several hundred meters away. Elesis' eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure they – wait. Did they use some kind of mirror thing and was there any light when they retreated?" Elesis inquired to the knight. The soldier thought for a moment before nodding his head.

"Yes Ma'am. There was a light that appeared for each of the elves that left. Why?" The Red Knight was curious as to how his captain knew what had happened even though she was not there. Elesis brought her wrapped hand to her chin and thought for a few seconds before looking to her subordinate.

"Okay, I need you and Elsword to do me a favour."

"A favour?" Elsword and the Red Knight tilted their heads quizzically as they asked the same question simultaneously.

* * *

Elder Gera stood on the balcony of his ivory spire that was his home. The tower was connected to the council chambers, a dome of blazing white stone with intricate decorations adorning the structure. The sun hung high in the sky of Hom, yet it was not terribly hot, but it was not particularly cold either. Gera loved that about his home, it made selecting his attire simple.

However, the pleasant weather was not at the front of Gera's mind.

_This operation is tantamount to turning this war around! We must succeed. We have been only been raiding the human convoys and participating in small skirmishes throughout Elrios for years. Though we have been victorious in most of those skirmishes, we have not done significant damage to their forces. We need to succeed in taking Altera. It will be the lynchpin in our offensive._ The elder smirked to himself when one of his guards burst through the ornate oak door to his room.

"Elder Gera!" The council member jumped at the sudden intrusion and wheeled around to face the elf, his cheeks white.

"Would you be so kind as to _knock_ next time, Tesar?" Gera seethed as he placed his hand over his heaving chest.

"My sincere apologies, Elder, but Erendris and Irha returned from the operation!" The sentry quickly voiced an apology and told the Elder his reason for throwing the door open.

Gera stood slack jawed as he processed the information.

"But they should not be… Get out of my way!" The elder shoved past Tesar as he rushed to the central council chamber, his mind a storm of thoughts.

_Why are they back already? They should not have returned for at least another day and a half. And why did Tesar not mention Radis or Rena?_ He sprinted down the steps despite the voice of his physician, telling him not to strain himself, echoing in his head.

All of the rangers that were sent to take Altera were equipped with _geoul_, an elven magic item that acted as a single use portal back to the elven world. The _geoul _that the occupation forces had were set to return them to the central council chambers, so that major injuries could be quickly treated in the adjacent medical ward.

Gera finally sprung from the spiral steps of the spire and came to a grinding halt. He made it to the central council chambers and there were rangers everywhere. Several were lying on the pristine white floor in exhaustion while others bore injuries of varying degrees and were being helped to the medical ward by the healers.

But what concerned Gera the most was the number of elven rangers present. About one hundred rangers, including Erendris' Night Savers, had left Hom for the operation. Only a fraction of that number were now present, about thirty rangers from Irha's, Radis's and Rena's squad stood in the vast room and only eleven of the original twenty elite Trapping Rangers that accompanied Erendris were present. To make matters worse, the elder saw Irha and Amelia surrounding a prone Lime, shouting furiously at her to stay awake.

"What happened here!?" Gera, already wheezing from his sprint, panted as he ran to the three aforementioned female elves.

"Elder Gera? Please help Lime! She is going into hypothermic shock! She was hit by a powerful ice spell, her core temperature is dropping and we can't warm her up! Please help us!" Amelia's eyes were fountains of tears as she gave voice to her desperation, rapidly massaging Lime's chest in a futile effort to warm her.

Gera knelt down and placed his hand on the barely conscious Wind Sneaker and withdrew his hand quickly when he found her body to be cold, almost as cold as a corpse. Without missing a beat, the Elder called out to a nearby healer.

"You! Take this one to medical ward, immediately! She needs fire El treatment and controlled thawing! NOW!"

The golden haired healer ran over to the quartet and called over two other medical elves. They brought a stretcher to carry the freezing elf and as they lifted Lime, the short haired elf's mouth moved.

"Re… na… Where is… Rena…?" Gera was barely able to make out those weak words as the healers took her away with Amelia running along with them, holding her friend's hand. Now Gera turned to Irha.

"You still have not answered my question, what happened? And where are Radis and Rena?" He probed the Grand Archer, who was still shaking from the recent event. She looked to the elder fearfully and hung her head. After a couple seconds of silence she raised her head and began to open her mouth to answer.

"I would like to know that as well." A new voice cut through the torrent of shouts that surrounded them, interrupting Irha's answer.

Both of the elves looked to the source and were shocked.

It was Erendris, but he was in terrible shape. His black feathered cloak was in tatters and the scraps that remained were dyed in shades of red. His slicked hair was matted with sweat and blood and the ebony and emerald body suit he wore was laced with crimson marks. Gera recovered from the shock of the Night Watcher's condition first.

"Erendris… what has happened to you all? What of the operation?" Gera was flustered at seeing both the elite Night Watcher and Wind Sneaker being in such sorry states and he could no longer contain his bewilderment. Erendris then spoke in an apologetic, yet professional tone.

"Everyone… We failed to take Altera. Me and my Night Savers were ambushed by a human elite and nasod forces and were forced to retreat. I apologize for my failure." Erendris bowed to the elder as he gave his report and Gera simply stood there, his mouth hanging open.

"And what of Radis and Rena and the rest of the missing Rangers, where are they?" Gera was hoping against hope that there was a silver lining to this debacle. Irha shuddered and her frazzled ponytail swayed with the motion as she looked sadly at the silver haired elf.

"Radis and his squad were… annihilated… There was nothing we could do. And Rena… Rena is…" She clasped her hand over her mouth to help contain the sobs that threatened to escape her throat. Gera placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and looked into her tear filled eyes.

"Irha, tell me what happened. Start from the beginning. What happened on that floating island?"

* * *

The battle for Altera had ended with the victory of the humans. Though they will credit the success of the battle to their forces on the ground, the soldiers that fought on the island would tell you it was because of the battleship, The Spirit of Motherwill, that had sealed their success. Without it, the human ground forces would have been left vulnerable to the elves' airships.

But this victory did not come without cost.

Thirty six men and women from the Allied Human Forces lay dead either on the muddy fields of Altera or in the field hospital. Twenty more had more serious injuries and would likely be crippled for the rest of their lives.

The elves lost twenty five rangers in the sky before they had even landed on the island. After touching down, the ensuing battle claimed the lives of Radis and another thirty four elves. About five of the rangers who survived were left with life changing injuries.

But, perhaps what the most devastating loss for both sides was as follows. Raven, The Beast of Velder, and Rena, The Valkyrie of Hom, were both missing in action and presumed dead.

* * *

The wind roared in Rena's ears and she felt a nipping chill as the air rushed around her. She was still only half-conscious so she could not see or really process what was happening to her. All she remembered was that flash of light and then blackness.

Wait… light? Light from what? That's right… it happened when my Gungnir clashed against that man's attack, and then there was that explosion of –

Her eyes snapped open and saw the most awe-inspiring and terrifying sight.

The clouds rushed past the elf and the surface below was colored in a plethora of browns, blues and greens. It was like she had a sky-eye view of the world below her.

But she actually did have that point of view… because she was falling through the sky.

A gasp of air escaped her lungs when she realized her predicament. The archer's head swung from side-to-side, only to see the expanding horizon on either side of her, slowly getting higher and higher. She turned her face back to the rapidly approaching ground as her hair whipped violently behind her and the hem of her uniform fluttered in the wind. Her left hand, still miraculously clutching her regal bow, tightened.

_What do I do!? I am familiar with wind based magic, but nothing about flight!_ Her thoughts ran through her head like a rat being chased by a cat. She could already tell that she had reached terminal velocity. If she continued at this speed, she would become nothing more than a well-dressed red stain on the ground. Not exactly the most pleasant way to end up.

_First, I have to slow down my fall somehow._ She spread out her limbs to increase her surface area and her sensitive elfish ears picked up on the slight decrease in speed. But she knew it would not be enough to save her from a fatal landing.

Her mind continued to spin with ideas on how to break her fall… but she was falling from a couple kilometers height! There was nothing she could grab on to while free falling and the ground was not getting any farther.

She could now see the details of the surface. Rugged, sand colored spires and plateaus dotted the landscape of rocky paths and sparse vegetation. A river fed by a cerulean lake cascaded off one of the stony cliffs into an even larger basin. _What a rough, yet beautiful place_. Rena's thoughts wandered before she shook her head and verbally chastised herself.

"Not now, Rena. I have to figure out how I am not going to break this fall. If only I could use this wind to fly or something…" She racked her brain for a solution and then she came up with an idea.

But it was risky.

_I do not have the luxury of being picky right now. I am falling to my death! If I time a burst of wind magic at the right moment before I hit the ground I should be able to save myself… I hope._ It all came down to timing. If she released her magic too late, the reduction in her speed would be too little too late and she would strike the ground like a hammer on an anvil. Too early, and the wind force from her spell would lose its strength by the time it got to her, failing to reduce her speed enough and she would still die. She would have to cast her magic at around thirty meters from impact. Even then, she would likely not be getting off without injury.

But it was either that or end up as the very first elf pancake.

With that in mind, Rena began gathering her magic into her hands, concentrating it into a dense sphere. She would get no second chances at this, it was literally do or die.

Within seconds, she had gathered the wind to a sufficient density and then proceeded to watch the ground get closer.

Five hundred meters…

Four hundred…

Two hundred fifty…

In no time the falling elf had reached one hundred meters until impacting the ground. Then…

_Now!_ Rena's voice shouted in her mind and she threw the sphere of magic wind at the rocks below.

"HUMMING WIND!"

The sphere flew like a raptor diving for its prey and struck the earth. It exploded spectacularly, blowing away the surrounding brush and the shockwave rushed to the falling archer. She felt the sudden deceleration from the wind and nearly had the breath knocked from her chest, turning the elf's body in the air. But…

_Crap! It was not enough! This is going to hurt…_ Rena barely finished her thought when her body hit the ground at around sixty meters per second.

* * *

Rena sprung up from her prone position with a gasp, only to fall onto her back in pain from the sudden motion.

She was alive. At least she was hurting enough to make it seem like she was alive.

The Grand Archer took in her surroundings. She was lying in a cave of some sort and she could hear the faint sound of rushing water coming from outside. Droplets of liquid dripped down from the ceiling of the cave and lightly splashed onto the floor. Small stalagmites dotted the roof of the cave and the floor was interrupted by occasional table-like rocks. She was lying on one of those rocks and it acted as a crude cot.

As she attempted to pick herself up again, she winced in pain and began to assess her own condition.

Her left arm was immobilized and in a rough sling made from reeds. Her left leg was in a hacked together cast, composed of small branches, and bandaged. And the fact that it hurt to breath probably meant she had a couple of broken ribs. All this was not including that she was sore all over. She squeaked weakly in pain when she brought her good hand to her chest to check if her some of her ribs really were broken. They were definitely broken.

"I see you finally decided to wake up, _elf_." She heard a voice come from the shadows to the rear of the cave and she painstakingly turned her head to face it.

She had only heard it once before, but she would never forget it. The voice of the man who let her live in Ruben Forest amongst the corpses of her friends.

He strode from the darkened corner; his wild, jet black hair with the white streak glistening with moisture and his golden eyes cut through the dark like a knife. He stood only a couple of meters from where she laid and a crazed smirk broke out across his face.

"I was hoping I could have used your unconscious body as bait… What a shame…"

* * *

**And there it is everyone! Chapter nine. Thank you all so much for your patience in waiting for this update. This is now the turning point of the story. Raven and Rena finally meet again and it seems to be a repeat of what happened last time. Rena is injured while Raven still stands uninjured... or is he? Raven may be strong, but he is still human and humans are not meant to fly. From the looks of things, both of them survived the fall from Altera... but where are they now? That will all be explained further in the next update! Or you can just guess in your review.**

**Now I want to take a moment and make note of some landmarks. WOW! Over 12k views, 8 followers, 5 favorites (Already? But the story is not even done, yet.) and 24 reviews. And "A Stormy Clash" had 6 reviews for it! I am blown away... Thank you everyone for taking time out of your day to read this. It means a lot to me. And now I would like to respond to my reviews from last chapter:**

**JazzinAces: Sorry for the cliffhanger at the end. At least, that is what I think you thought was not nice, but I am not psychic so I might be wrong. But wow... to know that you spent an hour of your valuable time to read what I had so far is... it makes me feel that I am really doing a good job. So thank you for your review and I hope this update satisfies your curiosity of Rena and Raven's condition!**

**Half-Demon-Cali: Always great to get a review from the writer of "Evlogia," my favorite Rena x Raven one-shot. Yeah, the whole ElsAi thing to me is a swing between tender and cute moments that suddenly switch to face palming humor. Yes... The Spirit of Motherwill will return, and will the elves be able to stop it? Well, we shall see. Rena's little moment where she lost herself to the blood lust was something I wanted to try. She was, after all, on a battlefield where people die all around you. Who would not lose themselves at least a little bit amongst all that bloodshed? The clash of Gungnir and Nuclear was something that I wanted to do for a while. The destruction of the two skills alone is catastrophic, put them together... well, you saw what happened. Thank you so much for your continued support of this story and I look forward to your next update, buddy!**

**Unhappy Fortune: Really? You think this good? Well, thanks for your praise. It is reviews like yours that make up for my lack of them with the positivity that oozes from your words. Thank you for your review! I hope this chapter does not disappoint!**

**Skyress8619: Yeah, there are going to be cliffhangers galore in this story. Hope you brought a grappling hook to hang on to! Huehuehue... so you think I am not mean enough to kill them both? *Pulls out knife and begins to sadistically lick it* Totally kidding. Those two are the central characters of this fan fiction and need to stay alive so I can actually have a plot. Do not worry, they will live to see another day. Thanks for your review and I hope for your continued support!**

**Zarosguth: Always happy to see a review from you buddy! Once more, your eye for detail really helps me clean up the errors and make these chapters truly worthy of reading. Yep they both survive... or maybe they are ghosts still bound to the real world! Just kidding, that would be lame and cliche. Hopefully someone can share their climbing gear with you, because you will be left hanging a lot! Thank you for supporting this story since chapter 1 and I look forward to your next update!**

**AkitaEls: Perfect? Really? Nah, can't be perfect. Isn't perfection impossible? Anyways, I am glad the character interactions that I am writing out please you. I don't know about the detailed movements though... If you wanna see detail, read some of Ephemeral Sanity's work. Your mind will be blown by her descriptions. They make mine look like they were written by a third grader. But thank you so much for your review!**

**Another big thank you goes out to Hakuba, who did a quick once over to nitpick, and... He-Jay, the author who inspired me to get onto this community and has been so helpful in their advice and guidance. So with that, I just have to say please Read and Review! Until next time!**


	10. Cycle of Blood

**I am so sorry everyone! I thought that now that I was on vacation I would have more time to write. But it seems that it was one thing after another and I could not find the time to sit down and just write. So before this turns into a letter of apology and spouting excuses, here is the long-overdue chapter ten of "Boundaries!" Enjoy!**

* * *

Rena's spring green eyes narrowed at the man, her expression dark. The memories of her butchered friends flashed through her mind and she bared her teeth at the recollection and to the man.

"You…"

The man did not even flinch. He merely snickered and tilted his head like a mad-man.

"Oh? So you long-ears do have fangs. I heard that they only come out when they are in a bind. And I think it's safe to say your condition does put you in a bit of one." Rena felt her lungs expand as she inhaled a breath of moist air. She could sense her blood boil and her good hand twitched, searching for a weapon.

Then she saw her elegant bow propped up against the rock she was lying on. It was close enough for her to reach it with little effort, but she needed both of her hands to fire it.

The basis of elven weapons was to create a point of concentration for magic to take form. For bows, it required the wielder to mimic the motions of firing the arrow as though it were real. From there, the magic that makes up the arrow takes physical form and fires as though it were shot from a real bow.

With her left arm immobilized, she would be unable to conjure and fire arrows, at least not without great difficulty. Not only that, but the man still had both of his arms free and his human hand gripped his cruel black blade. She quickly attempted to size up his condition. Though the shadows of the cave made it hard to discern most of his body, she saw golden cracks running along the length of his gleaming claw. Apart from that, she could not tell and had to assume he was in much better shape than she was.

This meant the moment she tried to pick up her bow, he would kill her.

Kill her? Then why was she not dead, yet?

"How long was I unconscious? I am sure you would have had ample time to finish me off when I could not fight back…" She asked the man in a flat tone. The man merely snorted indignantly, a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"It is no fun when your prey is not squirming. Though now that you're awake…" He stepped forward and brought the blade to her neck. "You could give me a show."

Despite the sharp metal that was pressed on her throat that could take her life in an instant, she did not falter in the slightest. The anger, sorrow and hatred that raged within her prevented the elf from feeling fear. She glared into the man's narrow, golden eyes with pure hate.

They held their gazes on one another for a time, green against gold, and then the man chuckled.

"You know what? I kind of like you. Every other long-ear in your position would be begging with tears in their eyes. You are quite interesting." She felt him remove the sword from her neck, and the cool air tickled the slightly separated flesh. "What's your name?"

Rena pressed her mouth into a thin line, attempting to hide her surprise at having this… demon ask for her name. But she did not leave them in silence for long.

"Why should I tell you, demon? Why would I give my name to a murderer?" She answered him, her voice dripping venom. The man's confident visage finally cracked when his eyes opened just a tad bit wider before narrowing once again.

"You're a little spit-fire, aren't you? You've got guts, I will give you that much." He sneered before walking to the opposite side of the cave, fifteen meters away, and leaned back against the wet stone. "Fine, you don't have to tell me your name. But I am going to just call you Long-Ear then. I hope you don't mind."

"Then I will call you Demon." She retorted, her right hand balling into a fist as she glared daggers at him. He shrugged nonchalantly and a tiny grin appeared.

"Fair enough." It was here their conversation ended. But it would not be the last.

* * *

Amelia sat in the plain white chair next to the medical bed that held her friend, the Wind Sneaker, Lime. Her round, green eyes were red and had dark bags under them from the tears and lack of sleep. She had remained awake for nearly forty eight hours since the operation to take Altera began. She felt her exhausted body shake in protest with every movement that she made, but she could not rest. Not until her friend awoke.

Lime had been struck by a powerful ice-based spell from a human mage called Noah. Though Amelia had saved her companion from the worst of the damage, Lime still suffered from frostbite on the left side of her body. Unfortunately, the consequences of the chilling effects from the attack began to creep through the rest of her body, lowering her core temperature and she nearly perished from hypothermia.

But thanks to the quick treatment from the elven healers, Lime was spared a chilling demise. Now the spry elf was resting, her small face a visage of peace. Amelia, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, felt relieved that her friend survived the disastrous operation on the floating island.

She then thought back to Elder Gera's tirade shortly after the remaining allied forces returned to Hom.

_What do you mean 'the humans had an airship?' Erendris and his Night Savers disabled the Elder Airship Yards and the entire human airship fleet! And you're telling me that airship was capable of annihilating our entire fleet of ships… on its own!? How did we miss something like that, where were the humans hiding such a massive weapon!? _Gera was furious at the news. The entire operation was brought to a grinding halt by a single airship. It could only be described as a catastrophe.

The elves had been monitoring the humans' air flotilla for nearly a month. They watched their patrol routes, the number of ships, types of ships and most importantly… where they docked. The Elder Airship Yards were the humans' main collection of hangars and repair equipment, so it was only a matter of time before the entirety of the enemy air fleet would touch down there. And when they did, the elves did not let the opportunity go to waste. They sent Erendris and a squad of thirty of his best Night Savers to destroy the yards and steal airships of their own.

This move was very unlike the elves, who were content to hang back and perform small strikes on their enemies' supply routes. But after nearly half a century of fighting with no end in sight, Elder Gera decided that it was time to go on the offensive.

The humans never saw it coming. The Night Savers lay waste to the Elder Airship Yards, killing many human soldiers as they set fire to the hangars. The resulting blaze claimed more human lives and burned the airship flotilla before they could take off. But not before the Night Savers made off with thirteen ships to use in the Altera landing operation.

Everything had fallen into place for a maneuver that would have changed the entire tide of the war. With the loss of the airspace over Elrios, a direct route to Bethma and a likely betrayal of the nasods, who were the masters of the island in the sky, the humans would have been forced on the defensive.

Now all the planning, preparation and personnel that went into that operation were for naught. Gera had thrown quite the tantrum at the results. Not only were several rangers dead and their bodies not recovered, but he lost two of his finest Grand Arachers, Radis and Rena. Radis was killed when that battleship fired on him and his squad.

And Rena…

The moment Amelia thought of her missing friend, the tears that she thought had dried up welled up in her eyes. She nearly lost Lime and Rena was still declared missing-in-action. The thought that one of her closest friends was not home with her tore at her heart.

"Mmmm… Amelia, what's wrong?" A weak voice floated from the bed and Amelia snapped her head up. There was Lime, awake.

"Lime…? Lime!" The Grand Archer threw herself on her friend, knocking her tiny circlet off-center. The tears she was trying to hold back flowed freely as she embraced the short-haired elf.

"Whoa! Amelia, calm down! I am technically injured you know. Though I guess I don't really have wounds if I was just freezing, huh?" Lime gave off a sunny smile as she gently lifted Amelia off her. Her friend's tears darkened the white satin, and Amelia's slim frame shook with each sob.

"But they said… they said you may not wake up… That you were in a coma! Lime… thank Lady El you're alive…" Amelia could not stop the words as they escaped her mouth and pulled Lime into another hug. They held each other for what seemed to be eternity when the two elves finally separated.

"Well, I am feeling much better now. Thanks for getting me back here, Amelia." The Wind Sneaker grinned sheepishly as her eyes shaped themselves into half-moons. "You look terrible. Get some rest, okay?"

No sooner did Lime advise her friend, Amelia smiled weakly and collapsed on Lime's sheet-covered lap, asleep. As the archer fell under, Lime's sensitive elven ears picked up a muttering.

"Thank El… thank El…" Lime stroked Amelia's pale blonde hair with her delicate hands, creating a sensation akin to rubbing silk. Lime watched her friend fall deeper into slumber, relieved that her friend finally started to take care of herself.

Then she thought about Rena. Immediately, her tiny smile vanished and her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Rena…" She whispered her friend's name to the wind, hoping against hope that the kind young elf would answer her. But she saw what had happened. She saw Gungnir clash with some other kind of attack, and the resulting explosion left nothing.

She knew Rena was strong, but could she have survived that? _No, I can't think like that. It's Rena we're talking about. She is the strongest out of the three of us and if we survived so did she._ Despite her trying to comfort herself, she knew, deep down, that the odds were slim to none. She was barely conscious enough earlier to hear Gera declare Rena missing-in-action.

Unfortunately for the elves, missing-in-action meant that they were trapped in the human world with no way back, and therefore were stranded in enemy territory. At that point, it was only a matter of time before they would be declared dead, as they likely were.

She could not imagine how frightening it must be to be trapped in a world where everyone sees you as an enemy and would kill you without hesitation. As far as she knew, Rena was out there, alone. She shivered to think of the isolation her friend was probably suffering from at this very moment.

Suddenly, her sullen thoughts were interrupted by cries of surprise that rang throughout the ward, followed by a crowd of golden-haired healers dashed past her bed towards the central council chambers.

"What is going on?" She called out to one of the medical staff as they passed by her position. The female cleric skidded to a stop and looked at her with wide, surprise-filled green eyes.

"Lime! You're awake?" Realizing that it was a pretty ridiculous question the moment she said it, the elf shook her head before speaking again. "It looks like more of our brethren are returning to the chambers! They must have finally been able to use their _geoul_!" She quickly explained as she sprinted away with the rest of the healers.

_More? More of our comrades survived!? Is Rena there!?_ The hope in her heart flared to life as she gently lifted Amelia's head so she could climb out of bed. Even though she was in a simple white robe without footwear, she was determined to find out what was going on. After setting her friend's head down on the pure white sheets, Lime stumbled across the floor and made her way to the central room.

She did not expect to see the scene that was unfolding before her. The healers crowded the center of the chambers in silence, all staring at the same spot in the middle of the massive floor. She tried to stand up on her toes to see over the crowd, but her sense of balance was still not completely restored and she nearly fell on her butt. She struggled to maintain her balance when she heard one of the healers mutter to the rest of the elves present.

"What is this? They are already…" The medic's voice trailed off as it echoed sadly through the vaulted chamber.

Finally, the mass of elves began to disperse as they backed away from what had their attention. Now Lime had a line of sight on what that was.

She saw bodies; bodies of deceased rangers.

However, they were not mangled and deformed. Each of their eyes were closed and their faces peaceful, their bodies covered with dark green cloth. If she did not know any better, Lime would have thought that they were sleeping. But seeing that their chests were not rising and falling, that little hope was dashed. However, that was not all that was there.

With the bodies of the dead, there were also a variety of bows. Some were clearly broken and mended, though the repairs were not really well done. And wrapped around each bow was… a flower. The small plants had their stems tied around each bow with care, as though it were a gift.

Then after counting the bows and bodies, Lime realized something.

These were her brethren that could not return home, the ones that fell on the island during the ground assault. These were the fifty nine rangers that died on Altera, or at least their weapons.

At first, Lime thought that this was a warning to them. But when her bright green eyes fell on the flowers that were tied to the bows, she realized that it was a sign of respect.

There was nothing worse than losing a friend and have nothing of theirs left behind. It was as if they never existed, and the only thing you could hold on to was the memories. The humans must have found the _geoul_ on the bodies of the deceased elves and used them to return them and their weapons home.

All of a sudden she saw an elf pushing their way through the gaggle of elves on the other side of the room. It was Irha, and her round, emerald eyes were fixated on the pile of bows. After she burst through the crowd, she walked slowly to the weapons and knelt down.

Now Lime saw what had caught her comrade's focus. Irha lifted a regal bow decorated with the brown feathers of a hawk and a rather large dandelion tied to the grip.

It was Radis' bow, the weapon of the Grand Archer that was killed on the dark fields of Altera.

Now clutching her friend's bow in her arms, Irha embraced the object… and cried. The tears ran down her delicate face and splashed onto the immaculate marble floor, her sobs magnified by the large space.

Now, the healers finally started to move, each one tending to the dead or gathering the weapons to determine whose they were in silence.

This was perhaps one of the few moments where the elves thanked the humans. Their bitter enemies had returned their comrades to them and, if they could not send a body back, their weapons. They did not disgrace their comrades, but honored them.

But Lime was not satisfied. She checked each face and every bow that she could get her hands on. But never once did she find any sign of her friend.

Rena was still missing.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Captain?" The Red Knight asked as he stood up from his kneeling position, looking over his shoulder.

"Yes. They fought ferociously and with honor. It is only right that we show the same courtesy. There has been enough sadness amongst all this bloodshed. It is the least we can do for them." Elesis, being supported on the shoulders of her little brother, answered her subordinate. She was still wrapped in bandages and slings for her injuries, but she had to make sure that the favor she asked of Elsword and the knight was carried out.

When she heard that the elves retreated, back when she was in the field hospital, she remembered how that Night Watcher, Erendris, and his rangers withdrew. They had used some kind of mirror-like object to somehow transport themselves away from the battlefield. Using that knowledge, she figured that every elf had one of those things and that those items sent those who used them somewhere that was safe to the elves.

So after she was informed that the elves retreated, she wanted to show her respect to her opponents. So she asked for her squad of Red Knights to gather the bodies of the fallen elves and prepare them to return to… where ever they were going to go. Unfortunately, some of the bodies were so disfigured or just simply completely blown away that they could not send back all the bodies. The ones that were burned by the knight's magic flames were especially grotesque and were not in any condition to be seen.

So Elsword suggested that they should send back the weapons in their stead. Some of the knights in Squad 4 scoffed at the idea, but Elesis thought it was the only other option. Then Aisha took it one step further and gathered flowers to tie to the weapons. It was truly a group effort that brought them all together not for battle, but to honor those that fell, whether they were elven or human.

After the group of surviving humans gathered everything, Elesis had them search for the mirrors, which she heard Erendris call _geoul_. After they were all recovered, they brought all the presentable bodies and decorated bows to the center of the island.

Here, they began to send back the corpses and weapons. It was a moment that they would never forget. Each elf they looked upon brought on feelings of hate and sadness, but most of all… regret. Regret that they had to kill one another. Regret that such handsome and beautiful creatures were their enemy.

Regret… that they were at war. The thoughts that lay in their subconscious rose to the surface and cried for peace and understanding.

But they were too far gone now. The flames of war burned brightly and could only be doused with the blood of soldiers.

They all realized this as the lights from the magic items faded. Now that they were taken care of, they now had to tend to those they could not send back as well as their allies who fell.

The Red Knights gathered the bodies of their comrades and brought them back to the field hospital to be counted and identified while the rest recovered the tattered bodies of the elves that remained on the island.

The rain had stopped hours ago, but the moisture was still heavy in the air and the clouds relentlessly blocked out the sun, creating a tense atmosphere of sorrow. They spent nearly a day accounting for the fallen, both elven and human.

Once they had gathered all they could find, the humans set to the task of digging graves for the elves as the bodies of their allies were loaded onto the transports to be taken home. They worked tirelessly to make these burial sites and after hours of digging, they all lowered the bodies into the holes. They made a grave for each elf and after they had covered the sepulchers, they decorated them with anything they could find: rocks, tree branches and flowers.

Once the task was complete, Elesis gathered the remnants of the human forces on the island for one last speech.

"We have prevailed over our enemy. But it was not without cost. We lost many of our friends and comrades, but so did they. I want all of you to think on this. Was this truly a victory? Because I do not see it as one. I see a path stained with blood and tears." Elesis hung her head as she spoke in a serious tone. "We must end this war, before more graves have to be dug. That is all. Let's go home."

Aisha broke down into tears at this. It was a mixture of relief and sadness. She was relieved to be going home alive, but sad that she now realized that this war was not going to end. It had been raging for decades with no signs of it letting up. And now she too, like the rest of the soldiers around her, had blood on her hands. She was fueling the war effort and it was only the beginning for her.

She did not want this. She did not want to kill anymore. That first elf she killed was enough. No… it was too much.

She felt evil. She had taken the life of someone who had people waiting for them to return home alive. Aisha was shaking as a cry threatened to escape her throat and she shoved it down, when she felt an arm around her shoulders. She looked to the owner of said arm and saw it was Elsword, who had a solemn look in his eyes.

"It's okay, Aisha. It's okay to cry for them. The tears will help them know that we grieve for them, too." His eyes all of a sudden released a cascade of salty water. He did not sob, but those that tears streaked down his face showed that he felt terrible; that he felt the same way as her.

Knowing that, she gave in to her sorrow. She cried and her tears stained the ground like the rain that came before it. Her balling rang throughout the sky as the humans made their way to the transports, all with the same somber thoughts.

This was only the beginning.

An eye for an eye.

A life for a life.

It was a cycle of hate and vengeance that could not be broken and was fed with blood.

* * *

Raven leaned against the moist stone of the cave, watching the elf that he had spared once again. He did not really understand why he kept letting her live. Perhaps it was the similarities between her and a certain person he knew.

_No. She is nothing like 'her.' She is an elf, and the one I knew was a human. But that face…_ Raven argued with himself for a couple of minutes when the archer spoke up, breaking the silence in between them.

"So you said you were going to use my body as bait? Bait for what?" She inquired, with her eyes as sharp as the arrows she was shooting at him earlier with.

"The wildlife here is mostly predators because of the lack of vegetation in the mountains. I was thinking maybe they could nibble on a long-ear and see if it was to their tastes. Not to mention it would net me some fresh meat." The Reckless Fist grinned at the injured elf and he saw her cringe. But she quickly looked back into his gold eyes with ferocity, the unease from earlier fading into the walls.

"You're sick. Are all of you humans this twisted?" The elf seethed, baring her teeth yet again. Raven laughed at the insult.

"Oh no, I am one-of-a-kind. I am much more than a normal human. You should know, Long-Ear, especially after our little scuffles."

He was right. Rena had fought many humans before, and each time emerged victorious. But none of those enemies had a demonic arm and the blood lust that this man possessed. Now a new question popped into her head.

"How did you survive? From what I have seen so far, you are not particularly gifted with magic or even flight for that matter…" The elf's eyes narrowed as she asked her question through clenched teeth. The Reckless Fist scoffed at the female and answered her in a threatening voice.

"What does that matter, Long-Ear? I fell, I survived, end of story." Suddenly a burning pain erupted from the right side of his abdomen and he winced briefly. This did not go unnoticed by the Grand Archer and she smirked at the realization that he perhaps was not in the best condition, either.

"What's wrong?" She sneered. "Got a cramp?" Finally, she saw the confident air around him completely disperse when his human arm blurred into motion.

A black streak flew past her face and the sound of metal striking stone reverberated behind her. She turned to look at the source of the sound and saw her reflection in the ebony blade that was lodged into the wall of the cavern. Her face froze, with her mocking smirk still stuck on it, and she slowly turned to face the man. He strode over to where she laid and, with a piercing glare, he yanked the weapon out from the rocks with his right arm before bringing it up to her face.

"Watch your tongue, Long-Ear… I'm in a good mood right now. It would be in your best interest for me to stay that way." He growled and once more stalked off to the other side of the cave. He once again placed his back to the wet stone and continued to glower at the elf while she glared knives back at him.

And in the back of Raven's mind, he recalled his fall from Altera.

* * *

He had been falling for some distance half-conscious, but when he came to, it did not take him long to figure out how dire his situation was.

_Damn. This could be a problem… _He cursed to himself as the wind whipped through his sable hair. He clenched his fist and spread his limbs as he racked his brain in search of a plan that did not end with him as a crimson splatter.

As he was falling through the sky, he noticed the landscape under him and immediately recognized it.

_Bethma, huh? Well that does not change the fact that I am falling to my death right now. Got to find a way to slow my fall. _Unfortunately, the Reckless Fist did not know any magic or have any sort of equipment for flight. He glared at his claw in disappointment.

It was a fearsome weapon, this arm. It could break down fortifications as though they were made of paper and provided excellent defense with its overwhelming power. It could even unleash bursts of flame to both scorch his enemies and provide a little extra mobility. But...

_That is not enough…_ Raven bit the bottom of his lip. Though he could use the thrust from his claw explosions to slow his fall, it would not be enough to save him from a fatal impact. He knew the limitations of this arm, and it was those limitations that might have just sealed his fate.

But it was better than nothing. With that in mind, he pointed the palm of his claw to the rapidly approaching ground and let loose a small eruption of flames that were fueled by his inner rage. He felt his decent slow more, but he knew that it would not be enough. However, this would buy him some extra time to think of a plan.

As he got closer to the rugged surface of Bethma, he noticed the tall sand colored spires and cliff faces that bordered Lake Leikiki. Then it hit him.

_That is going to hurt a lot though. Well I guess it is better than ending up dead._ He cut off his rambling thoughts as he focused on one of the rocky spires that jutted up several hundred meters into the air below him.

He changed the direction of the thrust of his arm slightly, taking care to keep it generally pointed down. This served to alter his trajectory, shifting his body through the air. As he got closer to the obelisk like stone he began to make his angle of approach sharper, which in turn increased his falling speed.

Three hundred meters…

Two hundred…

One hundred…

"UUOOOOOH!" With a war cry Raven fired off a larger explosion from his arm when he was only thirty meters from the stony tower. Using the sudden horizontal acceleration, he drew back his black and red claw and drove the palm of the metallic limb into the hard surface and willed his alien hand to grab onto the hard rock.

It did not stop his fall, but it was now slowing his plummet as he slid down the spire, carving a large glowing gash into the rocks. He felt searing pain in his left arm and shoulder as he felt the force from the sudden deceleration tear away at the limb and where it connected to his body. It felt that it was either going to tear itself apart or just simply be brutally ripped from its socket at any moment.

As the arm sustained more and more damage, golden cracks began to carve themselves in the sable metal as the limb practically screamed in pain. His eyes wincing from the excruciating suffering, watching the approaching surface with apprehension.

Two hundred meters…

Then one hundred meters…

Finally, when he was about to crash into the sharp stones below him, Raven fired off one last explosion from his nasod arm and propelled himself from the rocky skyscraper, converting virtually all of his vertical momentum into horizontal motion. His already scar-covered body crashed through the surrounding tree branches, each impact slowing his velocity further, but likely adding yet more scarring marks on his already defaced body.

The Reckless Fist at last came to a grinding halt by a river bed and felt one last flare of pain explode from his abdomen. He lay there on the moist earth on his aching back as the cool, flowing water licked the tips of his spikey hair and his human hand still gripping his black blade, his eyes on the dark sky. He then let out an explosive cough that threw up a small fountain of scarlet liquid and he took in the gulps of air that were violently thrown out of him during his landing.

"That… could have gone better…" He wheezed as he slowly sat up from his prone position, every muscle in his body crying out in protest. He then felt something anchoring his mid-section to the ground and he gingerly felt around his stomach.

He felt a sticky foreign object wedged into his body, so he carefully lifted his body in the opposite direction of the intruding thing. He felt it slide out from his body with a sickening pop and he let loose a gasp of pain and brought his human hand over the resulting opening. Stealing a glance at what was causing his suffering, he saw a sharp, blood-covered stone. He probably fell onto it when he came spinning out of the trees.

Now sitting upright on the river bed, he started to look over himself and assess his own condition. His right arm was in much better shape than he thought, only having a few bleeding gashes here and there from the branches and stone. His legs were also still in one piece and if not for the dull pain that eked out from the joints at every movement he would have gotten off free from injury to them. However, his chest burned with a sharp discomfort with every breath, meaning that he probably broke a few ribs. There was not much he could do about that right now. He then looked at what was making his abdomen so sticky.

He withdrew his right hand from its position on his side and saw it was covered in crimson blood. The Reckless Fist then looked down to the place where the rock had apparently embedded itself into and saw an ugly scarlet void that penetrated an inch and a half into his abdominal cavity. Fortunately, it looked like it missed his major organs, but it was still bleeding profusely. This needed to be tended to quickly.

But most of the damage he had sustained was inflicted on his main weapon: his left arm. The ebony and crimson metal had several golden cracks snaking along the length of the claw all the way from the wrist to the bladed shoulder. The palm of the hand had its metal shell completely stripped from it, and the exposed golden and scarlet mess of pulsing wires and nodes almost seemed that they were screaming in agony. He attempted to move the limb, but it shook violently in response and sent a sensation akin to having molten metal poured into your veins throughout his body.

He cried out in suffering as he convulsed from the sudden onslaught of pain.

"DAMN YOU!" He cursed the demonic appendage even though he knew it could do nothing to voice its own rebuttal.

Before his arm began to "evolve" two years ago, it was not such a pain to maintain. It did not feel pain, it was merely a piece of nasod steel and wiring. But over the years as it continued to adapt, he realized that it was becoming less of a metal prosthetic and more like another entity entirely. Over the past couple years it seemed to develop its own sense of self, as it would twitch in response to danger that Raven could not sense on the battlefield. Eventually it even started to act on its own, swinging itself around to block attacks from its host's blind side and assisted in guiding his blows past his enemies' guards and into their exposed flesh. It finally became a part of him, a limb that was now fully integrated into his body and even held some sway over his actions.

But most of all it craved blood, and it did not care whose blood it was. The limb thirsted for the blood of any living thing and it found that the emotion of rage was most effective of sating that desire. So it would take the anger and hatred that roiled within its host and used it as a fuel to power itself and more powerful attacks. The power it gave Raven was overwhelming, so much so in fact that when he got the arm to its current form, he had never once failed a mission.

Raven stopped his wandering mind there as he picked himself up painfully. First thing he needed to do was to patch himself up. With the wound on his abdomen was still spurting his life blood onto the soil, he stumbled to the gaggle of trees bordering the river and gingerly set himself down against a withered pine tree.

He dug into his pants pocket and withdrew a tiny first aid kit, which had miraculously remained intact despite the massive fall and landing that Raven had just endured. With careful, but painful movements, he cleaned the gaping red hole in his side and wrapped it a thick white bandage, which almost immediately started to stain crimson. He clicked his tongue in annoyance knowing that he would probably have change out the bandages relatively soon. But at least the most life-threatening injury was taken care of. His arm could repair itself, in fact he already felt the metal plates on the limb vibrating silently as they expanded, nano-meter by nano-meter, to repair the damage that it sustained. While it was in this state, he would be unable to use it very much, as evidenced by its rather… vehement refusal before.

He turned his attention to his ribs and carefully moved them by nudging them with his human hands on his chest. Since he could not directly manipulate them he had to do this by feeling through his toned chest as he maneuvered each bone back into its proper place. He would still need to get proper treatment later, but at least this way he did not have to risk having a broken bone pierce his lungs or heart because they were out of position.

After tending to his smaller wounds, he noticed that the sun was beginning to set, and a chilling wind blew through the valley, causing Raven to unconsciously shiver. He needed to find shelter quickly, Bethma was quite cold at night and the creatures that came out at that hour were not very pleasant. And he would not be able to defend himself very well in his current condition.

So with painful determination, Raven picked himself up and began to walk towards the surrounding cliff face. It looked like he had fallen into the boundary between Toretugera Canyon and Leikiki Lake. He could not stay out in the open for long, night was falling.

As he made his way through the trees, he caught sight of a flash of brilliant color from the river. It looked like… No that was impossible.

'She' was dead.

He scrambled through the brush and came to a skidding stop at the river bed.

He was staring at a woman with greenish blonde hair and a face that would not be out of place on an angel sculpture. She was lying on her front at the edge of the stream, her face revealed due to her head lying on its side.

"Ser-" A name, long-unspoken got caught in his throat and his eyes, before wide with shock and hope, narrowed when they saw the long-pointed ears poking out from under the female's brilliant locks.

It was her! That accursed elf! The one that caused him so much trouble on the island above them was now lying in front of him. He thought that she was dead at first, but then he saw her chest slowly expanding and deflating under her.

She was alive. Though looking at her condition she would probably be better off dead. Her left leg and arm were bent at strange angles and blood was trickling from the cuts on her body into the flowing water, being carried away in scarlet strings as her long hair swayed in the current.

He then took step forward and raised his blade to end her pathetic life.

But when he stood above her, ready to strike, he froze. He could not take his eyes off her face. It was so much like 'her' that if not for the ears, he would not be able to tell the difference. Despite his mind screaming at him that this was not 'her,' his heart could not let him deal the killing blow.

He gritted his teeth as he tried to will his arm to move, but to no avail. He could not do it, no matter how much he wanted to end this creature's life. He then noticed the shadows of the canyon creeping closer to them.

He was running out of time. He needed to find shelter, and soon. But, as he spun on his heel to leave the elf to her demise, his ears picked up a faint whimpering.

"I don't want to die..."

Raven whipped around to see the elf coming to, though she was likely only barely conscious, judging from the cloudiness in her eyes. She weakly repeated those words, like a mantra.

"I don't want to die…"

She then succumbed to her injuries and fell under again. But those words rooted Raven to the spot.

The memories came flooding back, like someone had opened a water faucet. He could see 'her' face, eyes wide with fear and her cheeks bearing tendrils of red blood as 'she' looked into his golden eyes.

_I don't want to die… Raven… I don't want to die_.

"SHUT UP!" The Reckless Fist roared, his curse resonating throughout the canyon, as he dropped his sword with a clatter and brought his human hand to his head. It was happening again. He felt the pulsing in his temples grow into a distinct pounding and his vision began to be colored red.

He took his right hand from his face and began to frantically rummage through his pants pocket for something and then froze.

"No… where is it?" He patted his outfit up and down, every square inch looking for what he needed, but it was not there.

The bottle of pills that he always carried on his person was gone.

* * *

**Yes... I know. Another cliffhanger. Sorry I just love those. But we do know that Rena is still alive, but the question is how it happened. I intended for this chapter to cover that, but I realized that it would go up to almost 8,000 words if I did that. So I will save that for next time. Now to look at story stats... AH! WHOA! Views more than 1,750!? 10 more reviews!? Favorites have doubled and 6 more followers!? I mean I know I left it hanging here for a while but... Thank you all so much for your support. I will make a greater effort to update sooner.**

**To my reviewers!**

**Ephema ish out: ... I know that's you Ephema. Thank you so much for taking time to review my story. It means a lot to me that an author of your caliber thinks this story is worth your time. Yeah, I am trying to get rid of all those choppy parts as I skim through my previous installments, but I seem to miss them here and there. Oh well.**

**PrecisleyRandom: That is the point of this story. No one is right and no one is wrong necessarily. It is up to you who you want to root for, but for the most part it is supposed to be a difficult decision to take a side because we all just want to see them get along and not kill each other.**

**FullyFLUFF3D: Again, the elves are not a conventional fighting force in my eyes. If you manage to uproot them then they are in a bind. And see? Lime did not die! I really wanted to answer your question through a PM but your account would not allow me to send one so here is my very delayed answer: The whole Raven-not-letting-go-of-the-past thing is actually what makes RenaxRaven so appealing, at least to me. It is not a relationship that spontaneously erupts, it is a mature and slow growing relationship. It is a pairing that takes time to truly blossom. So to the people who were telling you that that was the reason that you should not do it, I say that IS the reason you should do it. Describing Raven's struggle to let go of Seris and accept Rena into his heart is beautiful in my opinion. I HIGHLY recommend that you read "Companions." The second chapter is basically what I think is the perfect portrayal of their relationship and read the reviews. It will give you a good place to start.**

**Lili The Amazing Clutz: Wow! All 9 of what I had before? Thank you for really giving this story your time! Sorry for the long wait. I hope it was worth the delay.**

**Half-Demon-Cali: As always, good to get a review from you! Yeah, everything that happened last chapter was always eluding to something that was going to happen. I did so much foreshadowing in that chapter. And if you were feeling pain from reading those descriptions before... well the injuries in this update should probably have you cringing... I wonder if I should change this to rated-M?**

**Lingerer: *Bows in respect* Thank you thank you thank you! I cannot thank you enough for helping me with those translations! It makes me feel a lot better knowing now that people familiar with the Korean language are not cringing at every misused term. Yeah, I try to stay away from cliche, though it catches me sometimes. I am trying to keep this story as original as possible, and I guess it's working. I hope for your continued support!**

**Skyress8619: Good guess. Right on the money! They did indeed fall into the wilderness of Bethma, now the question is will they survive... considering that they don't kill each other first? Hm... you seem to be guessing my plot twists pretty accurately... I am going to have to try a bit harder at being vague... :P**

**Rosamanelle: Well here is a surprise! Thank you for your words of praise! I hope this chapter is up to your standards. Oh... I guess I should get out the crash pads so you don't hurt yourself in your hyper-activeness... *Sets up crash pads EVERYWHERE***

**AkitaEls: Thank you for another review! Yeah, Ephemeral Sanity *points up to Ephema ish out* does incredible work. That aside, pacing is something I am very picky about. I think I may have gone a little too slow on this update, but I will see how everyone likes it, if they do like it that is. Thank you for your continued support!**

**Alice-Neko321: Yes Rena is alive, though not necessarily well. And now you know what the "bait" was all about!**

**Whew... that was a lot to respond to. Also I will be updating all my previous installments with corrections and most importantly... updated Korean translations, courtesy of Lingerer *bows in respect again.* They helped me out SO much by proofreading my "elven" terms and they now made this story even better. So here is a big shout out to Lingerer: THANK YOU! And also one more shout out to... He-Jay, the one who inspired me to get off my lazy butt and write! Thank you all so much for your support and I hope to see you all come next update! Until next time!**


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